Trade Data Report: Export /Import Profile of the Global and U.S. Tobacco Industry

04/08/2012 by Isaac Thompson 1 Comment

Unmanufactured Tobacco

Tobacco, coded by Standard Industrial Classification as S.I.C. 0132 and the Harmonized system of Commodity Classification as HS: 2401, includes all unmanufactured tobacco. This simply means tobacco before Marlboro wraps it up and sticks a filter at the tip. This is the pure tobacco, usually already cured, but not rolled and boxed. It includes subcategories of all major types of tobacco, leaf, and curing processes. Tobacco is also listed on how it is to be used, such as: wrapper tobacco, cigarette leaf, cigar leaf, cigar binder, and by what type it is. A few examples of the types included in HS: 2401 are flue-cured stripped Tennessee tobacco, dark-fired Kentucky, and Virginia stemmed sun-cured.

World Tobacco Production 

Four countries, China, Brazil, India, and the U.S., produce two-thirds, 67%, of the world’s tobacco. China is the global leader, producing 40% of the world’s total tobacco. Brazil trails as the second largest producer, with less than half of China. United States produces roughly 6 % of the world’s tobacco.

World’s Top Tobacco Exporters 

The world’s top tobacco exporter is Brazil, owning 27% of the world’s market by value. It is interesting to notice that while the United States is fourth in production, we do hold a substantial export market. The United States is the second leading exporter with 10.5% of the world’s market. Unmanufactured United States tobacco was estimated at an over 2 billion dollar export revenue generator.

United States Tobacco Imports

The United States is also the world’s second leading importer of tobacco. Our suppliers are varied except for one. Brazil is the leading provider of tobacco to the United States. This one country, Brazil, holds claim to 39% of our total tobacco import. Turkey, famous for their blends, is our second greatest tobacco source, fulfilling 12% of our import market share. If we take a more macro view of imports of tobacco by region, we see that the Americas make up 47% of U.S. tobacco imports, North America Free Trade Association makes up 13%, the Middle East sits at 12%, Asia’s at 11%, and Europe is 9%.

Brazil’s Tobacco Export Trends

Brazil is by far the leading world exporter of tobacco and an equally dominating source for United States tobacco, thus, it is important to notice its export value and export trends. Tobacco production and export have recently exploded in Brazil. From 2004 to 2009 Brazil’s tobacco exports have grown from around 1 billion to almost 6 billion. It is not surprising that Brazil is a prime location for tobacco growth, being home to the famous Amazon Rainforest. Below is a detailed graph displaying Brazil’s past five-year tobacco export trends.

Data, Uses & Reports

One Response to “Trade Data Report: Export /Import Profile of the Global and U.S. Tobacco Industry”

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