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Locally
Grown Leaf More Popular With Cigarette Maker
Tobacco
farmers in Kanda province expect larger harvest this year with the
help of British American Tobacco, the international cigarette
producer that ha significantly increased its use of locally-grown
tobacco.
Some
56 percent of the leaves used to make Cambodia's best-selling
cigarette, BATS Ara, were locally grown. BAT estimates a jump to 73
percent this year, according to the company.
With
supervision and training from BAT experts, better seeds, and the
introduction of an organic pesticide, tobacco farmers are able to
produce crops that yield 1,950 kg per hectare on average, said Chuon
Vuthy, a leaf specialist for BAT who has a doctorate in
tobacco leaves.
BAT's
use of locally grown tobacco is a positive step for farmers, whose
previous crop yields were as low as 800 kg per hectare, said Sok
Siphana, secretary of state for the Ministry of Commerce.
The
Ministry of Industry encourages the same kind of corporate-local
cooperation, said Hul Lim, undersecretary of state for the Ministry
of Industry. The Government's policy is to promote farmer
production and to look for a market, he said.
With
BAT, the market is already there, giving the farmers more stability
in their sales and allowing them to earn more, said Kun Lim, a
spokesman for BAT.
Since
1996, the company has been investing in the Kandal province farmers,
producing leaves suitable not only for local production of Ara and
other brands, but also for export
"The
quality we've been able to achieve is able to compete on the
international market," Kun Lim said.
Seeds
from Malaysia were introduced to the tobacco-friendly ground in
Kandal, where tobacco has traditionally been grown, he said.
At
first, only slightly more than 100 farmers were interested, he said.
But the company proved they could boost the crop. Nearly 800 farmers
are now producing tobacco for the company. Four them were able to
buy new tractors this year, and one farmer, who planted early and
receive 100 percent return on his investment, was "smiling
wide" all the way to the bank, Chuon Vuthy said.
The
company also introduced the Lim tree to the farmers, the leaves of
which can be crush and mixed with water to make potent repellent of
the tobacco leaves' traditional enemy, the caterpillar.
With
the boost in crops, the company now exports to its sister company in
Sri Lanka, Kun L said.
The
import-reliant government would like to see more of that practice,
Sok Siphana said. "With the new way of farming," he said,
"people receive a better benefit.
By
Kay Kimsong and Brian Calvert |
