August 2024 – On August 9, the Interstate Tobacco Industry Union (SindiTabaco) hosted a meeting to formalize the closure of the tobacco pre-inspection procedure, 2023/2024 crop year, one of the requirements of the bilateral trade protocol between Brazil and China. The meeting was held in hybrid format, with the virtual presence of the technicians from the General Administration of Customs China (GACC) and the representative of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (Mapa) and of the National Organization for Brazilian Phytosanitary Protection (ONPF), Pedro Carneiro Abreu.
Other authorities that also attended the event are as follows: MAPA Superintendent in Grande do Sul, José Cleber de Souza; SindiTabaco president, Iro Schünke; Chief exccutive officicer at MAPA’s Inspection Service in Rio Grande do Sul, Emerson Nunes Costa; members from MAPA RS, Roque Danieli, Alan Erig and Carlos Wolmann, besides representatives from the organ in SC and PR; president of China Tobacco International in Brazil (CTIB), Zhou Xinghua; technical responsible in charge of the Central Analytical Laboratory of the University of Santa Cruz do Sul (UNISC), Adriana Dupont Schneider; representatives from the State Inspection Organs in PR an SC; Zhang Nan Zhengrong, Leader of the China |Leaf Company Delegation; as well as representatives from the companies that sell tobacco to China.
“This is a primordial moment for compliance with the protocol. The samples were collected in a very effective manner, and it is with great satisfaction that I inform you that no pests were detected in the collected samples. This once again corroborates the quality of the Brazilian tobacco. China is one of our largest importers of tobacco and this partnership plays a fundamental role for the continuity of the businesses between the two countries. We are sure that we will continue making strides in this relation”, commented Pedro Carneiro Abreu, from MAPA Brasília.
José Cleber de Souza, superintendent at MAPA RS, reinforced the importance of the results. “Our participation consists in representing this commitment, which is also shared by minister Carlos Fávaro, besides acknowledging this activity as relevant for the entire country In our understanding, this expresses our responsibility with regard to the Chinese inspection organs”, he commented.
In line with what has occurred in the past years, in an agreement with the GACC, the MAPA was in charge of collecting the processed tobacco samples and send them to the Central Analytical Laboratory of the University of Santa Cruz do Sul (UNISC) for laboratory tests that confirm the phytosanitary status of the product prior to shipment. Roque Danieli, tax auditor and head of MAPA’s Plant Health and Inputs Inspection Service in RS, presented details about the pre-inspection activities.
“During these 23 days in which we worked jointly with the GACC representatives, in virtual format, it was possible to attest to the quality of the 2023/2024 crop, and demonstrate that, at field level, the 2024/25 crop is now under cultivation with all the necessary cares in compliance with the requisites set forth on the protocol. The integrated production system gets the credit for the fact that tobacco is the commercial crop that uses the least amount of pesticides at field level, a result of the constant work of the farm extension agents. “We hope that the presentation of the works is cause for satisfaction, and next week we shall send the final report to Brasília to be forwarded to the GACC”, Danieli commented to the group.
Final report consolidates the quality of Brazilian tobacco
Zhang Nan Zhengrong, Leader of the China Leaf Company Delegation, presented the pre-inspection report to the attendees of the meeting, jointly with the technical responsible for the Central Analytical Laboratory of UNISC, professor Adriana Dupont Schneider. She gave details of the analyses. “This year we analyzed a total of 54 lots with samples collected in eight companies. The laboratory activities took 24 days, and they certified the phytosanitary safety with regard to the nine quarantine pests set forth in the agreement, of which, six are types of insects, two weeds and the fungus known as blue mold. All the results were negative for the pests included in China-Brazil trade protocol”. Schneider attested.
The GACC representative expressed its satisfaction to the meeting attendees about the final result of the pre-inspection service, and thanked the people involved, signaling that the shipments should be liberated as soon as possible. On his part, CTIB president, Zhou Xinghua, emphasized the good results achieved.
The president of SindiTabaco, Iro Schünke, reinforced the importance of China for the tobacco sector in Brazil. “Tobacco is an agricultural crop that suffers harsh criticism, but has been vigorously defended by the MAPA. This has a lot to do with the social and economic importance of the crop for our Country, especially for the South Region. China is our second-largest importer, coming only after Belgium, and every year purchases big amounts of our tobacco. And this is the moment for a special mention of the farmers that cultivate tobacco in Brazil who, along with the farm extension agents, have performed all the necessary works for our compliance with the necessary requisites that have kept Brazil as top leaf exporter over the past 30 years”, Schünke emphasized.
ABOUT SINDITABACO – Founded on 24 June 1947, the Interstate Tobacco Industry Union (SindiTabaco) is based in Santa Cruz do Sul (RS), Rio Pardo Valley, biggest tobacco production and processing hub in the world. Initially, as Tobacco Industry Union, the entity expanded its operations over the years and, since 2010, it comprises the entire national territory, except Bahia, Rio de Janeiro and Paulo. The initiatives of the entity are for the most part concentrated in the South Region of the Country, where more than 98% of the tobacco is produced, with the involvement of 626 thousand people in the rural area, in 509 municipalities. Know more at www.sinditabaco.com.br
Expectation is for tobacco exports to outstrip the results in dollar terms in 2024. In 2023, tobacco represented 11% of the total shipments in Rio Grande do Sul
July 2024 – After the flood in May that left its mark in the history of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, signs of recovery are beginning to emerge. As far as agribusiness goes, tobacco gains prominence, as attested by MDIC/ComexStat data, presented at the 73rd meeting held by the Sectoral Chamber of the tobacco supply chain, this Wednesday, July 17.
The president of the Interstate Tobacco Industry Union (SindiTabaco), Iro Schünke, exhibited the tobacco export panorama of the first half of year 2024. Brazil has been the top tobacco exporter since 1993, and ships abroad, according to historical averages, more than 500 thousand metric tons a year, bringing revenue of US$ 2 billion, annually.
According to MDIC/ComexStat sources, from January to June, the considerable amount of 195,261 tons were shipped abroad, down 8.82% from the same period in 2023. In dollar terms, it reached US$ 1.24 billion, up 7.65% if compared with the previous year. China, Belgium, the United States, Indonesia and Egypt have been the top importers up to the moment.
“In 2023, tobacco represented 11% of all exports by the State of Rio Grande do Sul and, in 2024, this representativeness is likely to go up further. The expectation is that we are going to export a smaller volume, due to the smaller size of the crop, but with revenue increasing by 10% to 15% in dollar terms. Within this context, the sector will certainly contribute towards a trade surplus in Rio Grande do Sul”, Schünke comments.
FLOOD IN RS – The president of SindiTabaco also presented the results of the survey conducted by the entity jointly with the associate companies focused on the damages suffered by the tobacco farmers caused by the floods in May. The numbers reveal that 75 tobacco producing municipalities were hit, adversely affecting 1,929 farmers, one way or another, with losses estimated to amount to R$ 95 million. According to Schünke, losses could have been even more serious. “Tobacco played a decisive role in mitigating the losses of the small-scale farmers, where two factors contributed toward it: by the end of April, most farmers had already delivered their tobacco to the dealers, because it was a smaller crop, and the high prices fetched by the crop”, he commented. “We regret the one-off losses of some municipalities and tobacco farmers, but we are confident that the size of the tobacco crop in the most affected areas shall remain close to the estimated projections for the 2024/25 growing season,” Schünke argues.
Take a look at the complete survey
ABOUT THE CHAMBER – Promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (Mapa), the Sectoral Chamber, on a periodic basis, promotes a meeting of the main leaderships of the tobacco sector. At the meeting, Edimilson Alves, executive manager at Abifumo, was nominated new consultant of the Sectoral Chamber. The next meeting has been scheduled for October 30.
Contact with the press
AND,ALL
Daniella Turano – daniella.turano@andall.ag – (11) 98596-7477
Eliana Stülp Kroth – eliana.stulp@andall.ag – (51) 99667-7405
Roberta Sena – roberta.sena@andall.ag – (11) 98435-6712
Visualize all the images in high resolution
SindiTabacoeliana.stulp@andall.ag (51) 99667-7405
Deconstructing the narratives about the production of tobacco in Brazil has been one of the great objectives of the union that completes 77 years fighting on behalf of the tobacco supply chain, on the 24th of June.
June 2024 – Over the decades, especially in recent years, the Interstate Tobacco Industry Union (SindiTabaco) has adapted in order to more efficiently comply with the mission to represent the common interests of the associate companies and defend the sustainability of the supply chain. In order to celebrate the 77th anniversary, SindiTabaco launched the document 'Controversial issue, counterpoint necessary'. In 54 pages, the document addresses the history of tobacco in Brazil and the most relevant numbers of the supply chain. Its great objective, however, is to challenge themes which are not always duly contextualized and end up being treated as contradictions by society.
“The tobacco supply chain is one of the most organized and advanced in Brazilian agriculture, with initiatives that set an example to other sectors. Not rarely, however, it is left aside in terms of agribusiness. The launch of this document has the purpose to demystify and provide the necessary counterpoint to those who insist in refusing to state the obvious: tobacco is agro!”, Iro Schünke, SindiTabaco president since 2006, reinforces.
Questions like indebtedness, monoculture, deforestation, the use of pesticides, suicides, green tobacco sickness, child labor and slave labor, are themes addressed by the paper now beginning to circulate among the main stakeholders of the entity, in printed format, but it is also available on line at site www.sinditabaco.com.br.
“Over the years we have given visibility to the social and economic importance of the sector to hundreds of municipalities in South Brazil and we have promoted a series of initiatives about agricultural practices that turn Brazilian tobacco into one of the most demanded in the world. In the meantime, we have suffered uninterrupted attacks on account of the finished product, which is legal and an adult choice. Not rarely, we witness antismoking activists attacking the production of tobacco, and the list of attacks has been gradually expanded over the years. From polluters to slavers, are some of the biased written lines. It is about them we are talking”, the chief officer comments.
Read in its integrity: Controversial Issue, Counterpoint Necessary
A NEW CHANNEL FOR THE COUNTERPOINT
Communication is one of the pillars of the SindiTabaco, and the entity always seeks to strengthen the dialogue with all the links of the supply chain and society. Building a social media presence contributes towards achieving this objective, and all the information about the sector is disseminated through a new channel: LinkedIn. “It will be a strategic channel to disclose the social and economic importance of the sector, besides highlighting sustainability initiatives, social and environmental programs, as well as the results of this agribusiness segment”, Schünke commemorates.
ABOUT SINDITABACO – Founded on 24th June 1947, the Interstate Tobacco Industry Union (SindiTabaco) is based in Santa Cruz do Sul (RS), in the Pardo River Valley, largest tobacco production and processing center in the world. Initially known as Tobacco Industry Union, the entity expanded its scope over the years and, since 2010, it began to comprise the entire national territory, except Bahia, Rio de Janeiro and Paulo. The initiatives of the entity are mostly concentrated in the South Region of the Country, where more than 98% of Brazilian tobacco is produced, with the involvement of 500 thousand people in the rural area, in 490 municipalities.
Contact with the pressAND,ALLDaniella Turano – daniella.turano@andall.ag – (11) 98596-7477Eliana Stülp Kroth – eliana.stulp@andall.ag – (51) 99667-7405Roberta Sena – roberta.sena@andall.ag – (11) 98435-6712
Survey concluded that 75 tobacco producing municipalities were affected by the catastrophic floods in May. A recovery plan has already been put into force and the expectation is for the maintenance of the result predicted for the upcoming crop year. June 2024 – The flood of unheard proportions that hit the State of Rio Grande do Sul in early May this year and changed the lives of thousands of people, caused losses to nearly two thousand tobacco farmers. This was the conclusion reached by the survey conducted by the Interstate Tobacco Industry Union (SindiTabaco) and the associate companies. In this Thursday, June 6, the president of SindiTabaco had a meeting with the board of directors of the Tobacco Growers' Association of Brazil (Afubra) and representatives of the Federation of Agricultural Workers (FETAG-RS) and the Rio Grande do Sul State Federation of Agriculture (FARSUL), in order to present and analyze the numbers. According to SindiTabaco president Iro Schünke, the research reflects the reality of the last two weeks of May, at a time in which it was still difficult to access the areas and to communicate with the people of many districts. “Based on available information, we calculated the damages in an approximate manner, so as to dimension the amount of loss”, the officer explains. In all,1,929 rural properties were hit by the severe flood in 75 municipalities covered by the survey. In terms of affected farmers, the municipalities that comprise the biggest number are as follows: Candelária, where 214 tobacco farmers suffered losses, followed by Agudo (136), Barros Cassal (132), Venâncio Aires (116), Arroio do Tigre (101), Gramado Xavier (96), Segredo (89), Boqueirão do Leão (78), Ibarama (71), Passa Sete (69), Sinimbu (67), Fontoura Xavier (63), Lagoão (63), Santa Cruz do Sul (61), Vera Cruz (58) and Paraíso do Sul (50). Considering an estimated loss amount, the ten municipalities that endured biggesst losses were Venâncio Aires (R$ 18.3 million), Candelária (R$ 16.52 million), Agudo (R$ 6.35 million), Ibarama (R$ 5.96 million), Santa Cruz do Sul (R$ 4.57 million), Vera Cruz (R$ 3.83 million), Paraíso do Sul (R$ 3.36 million), Sinimbu (R$ 2.98 million), Cruzeiro do Sul (R$ 2.47 million) and Arroio do Tigre (R$ 2.45 million). The survey also demonstrated that 96% of the affected farmers intend to continue producing tobacco. “We need to provide the conditions that make it possible for them to carry on with their activities in the upcoming crop year and, within this context, the associate companies have already replaced the necessary inputs to restore the 2.070 seedbeds of lost seedlings, an investment that amounts to approximately R$ 1.6 million. We are confident that, in spite of this tragedy, the production of tobacco in the affected areas should remain close to the projections estimated for the 2024/25 growing season, now still at its initial stage”, Schünke comments. According to the chief executive officer, the industry and the tobacco farmers’ representatives are doing their best in an attempt to minimize losses, but public policies will be necessary to meet any emergent needs of the farmers, particularly with regard to access to credit lines for the maintenance and reconstruction of facilities, homes, curing barns and sheds. “Within this context, we believe that the representation of the farmers is an important ally to act as go-between when it comes to getting support from government organs at this moment of reconstruction, especially considering that the tobacco farmers grow diversified crops, as they also plant food crops like corn, bean, soybean and rice”, Schünke agues. MAIN SURVEY RESULTS 1,929 farmers affected 2,070 seedbeds lost 1,428 hectares lost [arable land] 285 tons of fertilizers lost 848 tons is the estimated production loss in the 2024/25 growing season Curing barns (curing facilities) 222 partial losses 129 total losses Sheds 178 partial losses 87 total losses Residential damages 140 with up to 30% loss 126 with losses from 30% to 70% 86 with total loss Municipalities hit Agudo, Anta Gorda, Arroio do Tigre, Arvorezinha, Barra da Fortaleza, Barros Cassal, Bom Retiro do Sul, Boqueirão do Leão, Caiçara, Candelária, Canudos do Vale, Casca, Cerro Branco, Ciríaco, Coqueiro Baixo, Cruzeiro do Sul, Davi Canabarro, Dona Francisca, Doutor Ricardo, Encruzilhada, Estrela Velha, Faxinal do Soturno, Fontoura Xavier, Formoso, General Câmara, Gramado Xavier, Herveiras, Ibarama, Ibiraiaras, Ilópolis, Itaara, Itapuca, Ivorá, Jacuizinho, Jaguari, Lagoa Bonita do Sul, Lagoão, Liberato Salzano, Marques de Souza, Nova Bréscia, Nova Palma, Novo Cabrais, Novo Paraiso, Novo Tiradentes, Palmitinho, Paraíso do Sul, Passa Sete, Passo do Sobrado, Pinhal Grande, Planalto, Pouso Novo, Progresso, Putinga, Relvado, Restinga Seca, Rio Pardo, Salto do Jacuí, Santa Clara do Sul, Santa Cruz do Sul, Santa Lúcia, Santa Maria, São José do Herval, São Pedro do Sul, Segredo, Sério, Sinimbu, Sobradinho, Tunas, Tupanciretã, Vale do Sol, Vale Verde, Venâncio Aires, Vera Cruz, Vespasiano Correa and Volta Grande. ABOUT SINDITABACO – Founded in 1947, the Interstate Tobacco Industry Union (SindiTabaco) is based in Santa Cruz do Sul (RS), region of the Rio Pardo River Valley, largest tobacco production and processing center in the world. By representing the interests of 14 associate companies, the entity gives visibility to the social and economic importance of the sector to hundreds of municipalities across the South Region of Brazil and promotes a series of actions that turn Brazilian tobacco into one of the most demanded in the world. TOBACCO IN BRAZIL – The numbers attest to the great importance of tobacco in the Brazilian agribusiness scenario. Since 1993, Brazil has hold the position of leading global tobacco exporter. According to the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (MDIC/ComexStat), Brazil shipped abroad 512 thousand tons of tobacco in 2023, bringing in revenue of US$ 2.729 billion. In all, 107 countries purchased the product, where the highlight was the European Union with 42% of the total, followed by the Far East (31%), Africa/Middle East (11%), North America (8%) and Latin America (8%). Belgium, China, the United States and Indonesia continue in the ranking of major importers. The share of tobacco in exports amounted to 0.80% in Brazil, 4.51% in the South Region and, in Rio Grande do Sul, top tobacco producer state, it reached 11.19%. Know more at www.sinditabaco.com.br Visualize all the images in high resolution SindiTabaco eliana.stulp@andall.ag (51) 99667-7405
Day against child labor: more than thousand reasons to celebrate With an innovative format, Growing Up Right Institute fights child labor offering a professional qualification program to adolescents in the rural setting. June 2024 – The 12th of June, very remembered as Valentine’s Day, is also a day of reflection on child labor. For some sectors, as is the case of tobacco, work is only allowed from the age of eighteen onward. In the cities, these adolescents have access to different qualification models, but in the rural areas opportunities are scarce. “When we started the awareness program on the theme, advising the farmers about the ban on the use of minors under 18 years old on tobacco farming activities, we were thoroughly questioned by farmers who got concerned about the idleness of their children. Many of these teenagers, aged 14 or over, are beginning to express their interest in earning income. We tried to get answers from public authorities, but very little was achieved”, SindiTabaco president Iro Schünke recalls. It was at that moment that we figured out a solution. With financial support from the companies associated with SindiTabaco, and intellectual support from great minds joining efforts towards the same purpose, the Growing Up Right Institute was idealized in 2014 and founded on the 23rd of April 2015. At the moment, nine years in operation, the Growing Up Right Institute has already qualified upwards of one thousand teenagers, in 20 municipalities in the South Region of Brazil, which were the venue for 54 groups that attended the Rural Professional Learning Program. With the quotas of the associate companies and supporters, and from all industries of the tobacco sector, the Growing Up Right Institute provides teenage farm boys and girls, aged 14 – 17, coming from tobacco producing families, with a contract as young apprentices for them to attend the Rural Entrepreneurship and Rural Administration course, in the shift opposite to regular school hours, thus keeping them away from activities improper for their age. “What makes the big difference is the innovative format created by the Institute, validated by the Ministry of Labor, which uses the Learning Law to remunerate the rural teenagers while they get qualified in their own communities. It is a powerful weapon in the fight against child labor and, to some extent, responsible for the decrease in rural exodus, considering that the entire content of the course is focused on the reality where they live and ends up changing the perception of the participants on the opportunities the farm itself and the community offer. I get emotional for the objectives we are accomplishing”, Shünke stresses, and he is also the president of the Institute. Pay attention to the statement given by Iro Schünke about the initiatives of the Growing Up Right Institute on youtube.com/sinditabaco Know more: www.crescerlegal.com.br
May 2024 – The biggest flood in history that hit the State of Rio Grande do Sul in early May and changed the lives of thousands of people is likely to engender worrisome consequences. People from hundreds of municipalities were hit by flash floods and suffered losses, some of them beyond repair. Amid the chaos, solidarity and integration have played a fundamental role in specifying the path to reconstruction. The Interstate Tobacco Industry Union (SindiTabaco) and all its associate companies have acted accordingly. The following are some of the initiatives taken by them and are being carried out in the midst of this public calamity faced by the State of Rio Grande do Sul, particularly in the Rio Pardo Valley region:
II Rio Pardo Valley Regional Forum on Forests brought together specialists from the Federal University of Santa Maria and from SindiTabaco to debate on the challenges faced by the small-scale farmers regarding energy self-sufficiency, as well as turning forest production into a source of income. March 2024 – Intended to be an environment of exchanges and opportunities that potentiate diversification initiatives, the II Rio Pardo Valley Regional Forum on Forests was held this Friday, March 22, during the program of Expoagro AFubra 2024, in Rio Pardo (RS). With the subject matter “Integrate, strengthen and promote the development of the forest supply chain”, the event relied on the participation of SindiTabaco technical advisor Fernanda Viana Bender. She presented a list of the main initiatives carried out by the tobacco sector on behalf of the preservation of native forests and energy self-sufficiency over the past decades, providing specific details on the program Initiatives towards Forest Sustainability in Tobacco Farming, held since 2019, in partnership with the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM). The aim of the program consists in cultivating energy trees to meet the needs of the tobacco farmers, whilst preserving native forests. Through 22 demonstration units established in Rio Grande do Sul, the UFSM research team, coordinated by PhD holder Jorge Antônio de Farias, from the UFSM, are testing the management of fast growing trees, and the results are disclosed in informative videos that contribute towards maximizing the results. All videos produced so far can be accessed at youtube.com.br/sinditabaco. According to Fernanda Bender, from SindiTabaco, the industries are making strides in terms of forest production knowledge. “Besides the farmers, the agriculture extension agents of the companies associated with the SindiTabaco equally take advantage of the program’s knowledge on the subject matter, whether through publicity materials or through technical visits to our demonstration units. Of course, there are still things we have to learn in the area and this is the top objective of the program. We need to develop a way of thinking that forest production is a tobacco farmer’s business. Without wood, there is no tobacco curing. However, beyond the demand by the sector, farmers could also get organized to diversify with forest production, thus earning extra income”, he argued. Professor Dr. Jorge Farias, coordinator of the program at the UFSM, contextualized the demand of the wood industry. According to him, there are some remarkable bottlenecks when it comes to introducing family farming into the wood market. “As the farmers possess small farms, land availability is one of the problems that make it difficult to plant trees, and the same holds true for the transport logistics of the production. At the same time, we witness a sector extremely concerned with the supply of wood of legal origin, while the farmers strongly demand wood. The solution goes through the creation of cooperatives or associations capable of articulating this market, and the tobacco sector could be a protagonist in this process. The forest component should become an integral part when it comes to establishing a rural property, as an alternative source of income”, Dr. Farias commented. Other forum participants include Rômulo Trevisan, engineer and PhD holder professor at the UFSM; and Vitorio Slompo, coordinator of RS Dexco Forestry Operations, on energy efficiency of the different tree species and the operation of the wood market.
