Why is it in the News?

The Central Government has approved a 10 thousand rupees interest-free Loan to the Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) Tobacco growers in Andhra Pradesh.

What is Flue Cured Tobacco?

• There are three types of tobacco curing methods traditionally used: Air-Cured, Fire-Cured, and Flue-Cured.
• Each of the different curing methods results in a tobacco product that is distinguishable by both its nicotine content and its aroma.

Flue-Cured:

• Flue-curing tobacco is raised with a low level of nitrogen and harvested by priming method.
• Harvested leaves are strung on sticks which are then stacked into to flue curing barn.
• The barn is artificially heated.
• Green leaves should be loaded in the upper half of the barn and the lighter ones in the lower half.
• The three steps are Yellowing, Fixing the color, and Drying.

Grading:

• After curing, leaves are graded by sorting leaves into uniform lots according to body, color, and degree of blemish or damage.
  • The most important elements of quality in FCV tobacco are color, texture, size, blemish, strength, even burning with white ash, and agreeable flavor.

Why is Tobacco Cured?

• To create smoking tobacco, the tobacco leaves need to be cured, or dried out.
  • The wet, green tobacco leaves of a tobacco plant initially contain too much moisture to catch fire.
• They also have a higher chlorophyll content.
• By releasing a certain amount of chlorophyll from the leaves during the drying-out process, the natural tannins come out giving the smoked tobacco its flavor and scent.
• The curing process makes the leaf dry enough to smoke while increasing the sugar and natural tannins found in each leaf to create the sweetly aromatic and mild taste tobacco is known for.

Key Characteristics of Flue-cured Tobacco:

• • Produces primarily cigarette tobacco
  • Contains a high sugar content
  • Contains medium to high levels of nicotine
  • Rich in natural tannins which creates its distinct mild and slightly sweet flavor and aroma
• FCV tobacco is mainly produced in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka in India.