Achieved a good yield of tobacco despite the weather conditions

Representatives of the Tobacco Administration and Phytosanitary Inspection visited tobacco producers in the villages of Kuzmina and Binguli

Tobacco producers, Serdar Stevica, Ivan Vladisavljević and Vladimir Lovas in the villages of Kuzmin and Bingula, hosted the Director of the Tobacco Administration, Slobodan Erdelj, representatives of the Tobacco Administration and the Phytosanitary Inspection, as well as the company Japan Tobacco International (JTI), with which these producers have long-term cooperation.

During the tour, they discussed tobacco production, weather conditions and the application of agrotechnical measures, as well as other current topics. This year, JTI, as the only company that grows and buys domestic tobacco, achieved a 65 percent share in tobacco production in our country. The company contracted production on about 2,300 hectares, in cooperation with 350 growers.

Ivan Vladisavljević, a producer who grows Virginia tobacco, pointed out the challenges during this year. “Virginia is known for requiring specific growing conditions, and the extremely high temperatures we experienced in July and August could have seriously compromised leaf quality. However, thanks to the advice of agronomists from the JTI company, we were able to adapt, which allowed us to achieve a satisfactory yield, despite unfavorable weather conditions.” He adds that, although the season could be more favorable, he managed to save a significant part of the yield. Vladisavljević concludes that the cooperation with JTI is not only technical, but a partnership, where each advice has a direct impact on the success of the season and the long-term sustainability of production.

“JTI continuously invests significant resources in the development and improvement of cooperation with tobacco producers. Together with the growers, we are working on raising the standards in terms of quality and yield”, says Milan Bjelivuk, manager of tobacco production in the JTI company.

He adds that JTI not only provides expert advice in all stages of production, but also provides a wide range of support. “JTI provides an interest-free advance for the purchase of necessary equipment, such as dryers and irrigation systems, which facilitates modernization and increases production efficiency,” explains Bjelivuk.