India’s tobacco exports grow 8% to cross Rs 13,000 crore in 2024

India is the second largest producer of tobacco in the world after China. Tobacco exports contribute sizable foreign exchange to the country's exchequer

New Delhi: The country’s tobacco exports are likely to register an over 8 per cent growth and cross Rs 13,000 crore this year, a senior government official said on Wednesday.

Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce Rajesh Agrawal also said the Tobacco Board has taken a number of steps to help farmers increase their income.

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India is the second largest producer of tobacco in the world after China. It is also the fourth largest producer of Flue-Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco in the world after China, Brazil and Zimbabwe.

“India is the second largest exporter of unmanufactured tobacco (quantity terms) after Brazil. Tobacco exports contribute sizable foreign exchange to the Indian exchequer. This year, we are going to cross Rs 13,000 crore…Tobacco farmers income has also doubled over the last 5 years,” Agrawal told reporters here.

During 2023-24, the outbound shipments were Rs 12,005.89 crore ($1.5 billion).

The Tobacco Board, under the department, has undertaken several strategic activities to ensure the sustainability and growth of the tobacco industry.

These include crop planning and regulation of production to meet both domestic and export demands.

The board supports 80,000-85,000 registered farmers by providing handholding assistance to produce tobacco of requisite quality to meet the standards of importing countries.