JAPAN
Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT) announced that the leaf tobacco deliberative council, chaired by Yoshio Kobayashi, released its annual determinations for domestic leaf tobacco cultivation area and grower prices for 2019, in response to a proposal previously submitted by JT.
The council was in general agreement with JT’s proposal and determined that in 2019 the domestic tobacco cultivation area will be set at 6,886 hectares, a decrease of 4.8% compared to the contracted area of the previous year. The leaf tobacco grower price will be set at an average of JPY1,912.32 per kilogram for all leaf types, an increase of 1.33% compared to the previous year.
JT will undertake its operations in 2019 based on the council’s determinations. The council confers on important matters concerning the cultivation and purchase of domestically grown leaf tobacco in response to inquiries by the JT representative. The council consists of no more than 11 members, appointed by JT with the approval of the minister of finance from among representatives of domestic leaf tobacco growers and academic appointees.