BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 1
By Samir Ali - Trend:
Azerbaijan is exporting its tobacco of Virginia variety to Ukraine and Russia, Entrepreneur, tobacco grower Ilgar Mammadov told Trend.
“Tobacco of this variety is planted on an area of 100 hectares. The yield of Virginia tobacco is half that local varieties, but it is suitable for export. Unlike Virginia, local varieties aren’t suitable for the production of foreign brands of cigarettes,” Mammadov noted.
“The maximum yield of this variety is 15 tons of raw tobacco per hectare. The yield of local tobacco varieties is about 40 tons. In 2019, Virginia's crop was 12 tons, this year we expect an even larger crop,” the entrepreneur said.
“The Virginia tobacco crop is harvested twice a year. The first harvest of raw tobacco is made in early July. It’s loose and cannot be stored for drying. Basically, the second crop is stored, which will begin harvesting in August. After drying, it is exported,” added Mammadov.
“In general, tobacco collection continues until the end of October. From 15 tons of raw tobacco we get 2-2.5 tons of dried products. The highest quality is considered to be tobacco obtained while the third harvesting. The tobacco harvested at this stage contains more nicotine, protein, and sugar. After the harvesting is completed, qualitative tobacco is stored, after which it can be exported,” the expert added.
Mammadov added that Virginia tobacco from Azerbaijan is basically exported to Ukraine and Russia, but in the future it’s planned to export to other countries.
Along with the Virginia variety, Azerbaijan also exports local tobacco varieties, which are mainly exported to Georgia.
The Virginia tobacco is loved for its lightness, delicate fruity aroma and natural sweetness, its carbohydrate content reaches 20 percent, which is a doubtless record for large-leaf tobacco.
Virginia is the basic type of tobacco, providing stable burning of tobacco in cigarettes and pipe and is the classic basis of American Blend. It’s a dark tobacco with a dark mahogany contrast and a rich aroma and medium strength.