China.—Production of light cigarette types of leaf of American origin is steadily increasing. Very large quantities of lower grade leaf are also grown, and China ig one of the world's foremost tobacco producers.
Dutch Indies.—Sumatran tobacco is especially valued for cigar wrappers. High equable temperatures and a heavy rainfall characterize the eastern coastal growing regions, and very careful attention is paid to the cultivation. The production in 1925 reached nearly 207,000,000 pounds.
Other important tobacco-growing countries outside Europe are as follows: Dominican Republic (45), Mexico (r84), Persia and Algiers (65)—the figures in brackets indicate the crop in millions of pounds for the year 1925. In the Philippines, where leaf of the cigar type is grown, the production in 1924 was 101,000,000 lb. From Syria comes the characteristic smoke cured Latakia variety of tobacco.
Europe.—Except in countries bordering on the Levant, where the Turkish type is grown, dark and heavy tobaccos are usually produced. The approximate production, expressed in millions of pounds, for the more important countries was as follows for the year 1925, viz.: Belgium (17), Hungary (38), Germany (42), France (69), Bulgaria (9o), Italy (92), Turkey (r04), Greece (129) and Russia British Empire.—A lower rate of duty is charged on tobacco grown in the empire, the amount of this deduction being increased from one-sixth to one-fourth in 1925. Production has been greatly stimulated thereby, the quantities imported into Great Britain at the imperial preference rate of duty having risen from 19,000, 000 lb. in 1925 to close upon 41,000,000 lb. in 1927. The chief contributors to this total were as follows: Northern Rhodesia 1,697,214 lb., Southern Rhodesia 9,250,644 lb., Nyasaland 14, 033,665 lb., British India 8,555111 lb., British North Borneo 1,348,501 lb., Canada 5,619,923 lb.
The increase in empire imports to Great Britain has been accompanied by a decline in imports of foreign origin. Empire imports, which represented only 1% of the total tobacco imports in 1919, amounted to 14.7% of the total in 1927.
, Imperial preference at the outset found the British empire unable to fill the demands of the British market for bright varieties of tobaccos of Virginia type and flavour. Empire produc
tion in the year 1920 exceeded 1,071,000,00o lb. and although thus equal to two-thirds of the output of the United States in quantity was not its equivalent in quality. Fully 9o% of the Empire produce was grown in India by the aid of native labour, and was of a character suitable only for local consumption. In British Central Africa the possibility of producing acceptable types of tobacco was beginning to be realized. The more liberal tariff concessions granted under the imperial preference scheme in 1925 greatly increased the output of bright American types of leaf in Nyasaland, and brought large areas under cultivation for producing similar kinds of tobacco in Northern and Southern Rhodesia and also in Canada. For the most part the produce of these new sources of supply is either of the bright flue-cured variety suitable for cigarettes, or the darker fire-cured variety for use in smoking mixtures.
It is estimated that the empire production of tobacco in 1927 exceeded I,Ioo,000,000 lb.; the output for the years 1925, 1926 and 1927 was in Canada 20,000,000 lb., 28,824,000 lb. and 43, 916,700 lb., respectively; and in Southern Rhodesia 1,987,382 lb., 5,313,000 lb. and 17,000,000 lb. respectively.
British consumption of empire-grown tobacco, especially so far as Rhodesian leaf is concerned, has not kept pace with the increased production. While Rhodesian tobacco is eminently suit able for employment in cigarettes, it possesses an aroma of a distinctive character which differentiates it from American-grown tobacco. The cigarette industry probably absorbs about 7o% of the tobacco manufactured in Great Britain. In the case of pipe tobaccos it is estimated that about 45% of empire tobacco is used, and 5o% in British manufactured cigars.
The production of tobacco in Great Britain, which began early in the 16th century, soon encountered strong State opposition, as it was thought to interfere with the developing export trade from the New England States. The growth of tobacco in England was legally forbidden in 166o, but only finally suppressed in 1782 by armed intervention and the imposition of severe penalties.