TOBACCO CULTIVATION & CONSUMERS WORLDWIDE

TOBACCO CULTIVATION
Tobacco is cultivated annually.Tobacco is sown in cold frames or hotbeds,as their germination is activated by light.In U.S.,tobacco is fertilized with mineral apatite,which partially starves the plant of nitrogen,to produce a more desired flavour.Apatite contains-radium,lead 210 & polonium 210-known radioactive carcinogens.Harvested in several ways-1.oldest method(still used), where entire plant harvested once by cutting off the stalk at the ground with a tobacco knife,then speared onto the sticks, Tobacco pressed 4 to 6 plants a stick & hung in into plugs & curing barn.Most tobacco in U.S grown sliced into flakes in VIRGINIA & N.CAROLINA
Tobacco plants growing in a field in intercourse PENNSYLVANIA

TOBACCO CONSUMERS WORLDWIDE Top Tobacco Consuming Nations (2005)

1. China ... 2.66 million tonnes (38% of world total 7 million tonnes) 2. European Union ... 0.71 million tonnes (10.2%) 3. India ... 0.52 million tonnes (7.4%) 4. Russia ... 0.44 million tonnes (6.4%) 5. United States ... 0.43 million tonnes (6.2%) 6. Brazil ... 0.23 million tonnes (3.3%) 7. Japan ... 0.18 million tonnes (2.6%) 8. Indonesia ... 0.17 million tonnes (2.4%) 9. Turkey ... 0.14 million tonnes (2%) 10.Pakistan ... 0.10 million tonnes (1.4%)

Top Tobacco Leaf Exporting Nations

1. European Union ... 18.1% of world total 2. Brazil ... 16.6% 3. United States ... 9.9% 4. Zimbabwe ... 9.1%
Tobacco leaf product include cigars

5. Turkey ... 6.5% 6. China ... 5.6% 7. India ... 5.5% 8. Malawi ... 5.3% 9. Russia ... 3.9% 10.Other European countries ... 2.0%

Smoke-free Areas in the World