These 10 countries that export the most tobacco in the world account for a significant share of the crop’s total export. In 2015, the value of tobacco export was $11.3 billion, which is some 700,000 decrease compared to a year ago.
Tobacco is native to America where it was used by indigenous people as a medicine and stimulant in religious ceremonies. The plant was introduced to Europe at the beginning of the 16th century, some thirty years after Christopher Columbus set foot on American soil. Italians were among the first Europeans to begin the crop cultivation on the Old Continent in the late 16th century after another explorer called Papal Nuncio Cardinal Prospero of Santa Croce brought tobacco seeds in the country because of the plant’s healing properties. A couple of decades earlier English colonists began to grow the crop in America marking the beginning of four-century long colonization in which tobacco trade played an important role. Today tobacco is grown in 125 countries on around 4 million hectares of land. According to latest UN data, total crop’s output is 7.4 million tons.
Profit generated from tobacco production and sales is a significant contributor to states’ budgets. Moreover, in some of the listed countries tobacco industry plays a role of leading employer with millions of workers relying on the industry to make a living. Still, economic benefits of the crop’s trade are in many cases shadowed by negative effects.
The greatest producers of the crop are located in Africa and Asia, which is a change compared to fifty years ago when production was concentrated in America. Unlike our previous list of countries that export the most salt in the world, this ranking includes only two European economies. The shift from high-income to low-income countries brought a pile of problems for developing regions ranging from environmental damage to health problems. Expansion of the land used for planting the crop, as well as cutting off millions of trees for tobacco drying, has caused rapid deforestation. Around 140,000 hectares of forests are lost annually only in South Africa as a result of the crop production. Moreover, farmers who grow the plant often work in slave-like conditions for minimum wage while some of the listed countries use child labor. Finally, percent of tobacco consumers is higher in low-income states where governments do little to tackle the problem of high smoking prevalence.
We listed 11 countries that produce the most tobacco in the world by tobacco export value which we found at Trade Map.
10. Germany
Exported value: $377,353
Germany is the second-smallest producer of tobacco among ranked countries. According to the latest available data, the country produces around 5,000 tons of the crop annually. Germany is also the second largest tobacco importer in terms of the commodity import value. A large share of imported tobacco is re-exported which is the reason why this Central European country found its place on this list. Although in the last few years the worth of shipped tobacco was on a decline, falling by 8 percent between 2011 and 2015, Germany still ranks among top tobacco exporters in the world. Its major export markets are Poland, Turkey, and Switzerland.
9. Turkey
Exported value: $386,132
The country which is known for its love for tobacco is 10th largest tobacco producer in the world with an annual yield of 90,000 tons. A significant share of the crop’s output ends up in foreign countries, mainly in the United States, Indonesia, and Belgium. In 2015, Turkey exported $386,132 tobacco, which was a 25 percent decrease compared to a year ago. Besides earning less from international shipments, the country also generated less revenue from domestic consumption since the number of smokers has been on a decline as a result of the government’s fight against tobacco use.
8. Tanzania
Exported value: $418,121
Compared to previously mentioned Turkey, Tanzania produces less tobacco, but exports more. In the last five years, the country recorded the greatest increase in terms of the crop’s exported value among ranked places. In 2015, this African country more than doubled the worth of shipped tobacco. The main importers of Tanzania’s tobacco are Romania, Belgium, and Germany. Even though tobacco industry brings cash to the country’s budget, it also causes significant damage to the environment and society. Around 1.3 m3 trees in Urambo area, which is one of the top growing regions, were lost due to tobacco farming. Moreover, many farmers, including children, are trapped in the cycle of forced labor with no protection from the authorities.
7. Malawi
Exported value: 495,121
In the poorest country in the world, Malawi, production of tobacco dates back to the beginning of 20th century. The country first became an important player on the global market in the 1970s when commodity production was around 29,000 tons. In the 2000s, the quantity of grown tobacco increased to 160,000 tons and today tobacco export accounts for 60 percent of earnings made from international shipments. At the same time the industry is the largest employer with almost half a million workers. Like in previously mentioned Tanzania, economic benefits drawn from tobacco production and sale come at great costs. Millions of trees have been cut and used for tobacco drying which has led to rapid deforestation. At the same time, the number of tobacco-related deaths has been rising. The government refuses to say loudly and clearly that tobacco consumption has harmful effects and claims instead that smoking is no more dangerous than drinking or eating sugar.
6. China
Exported value: 578,044
China is the largest producer and consumer of tobacco. The country also ranks as first by harvested area. It is estimated that around 300 million Chinese use tobacco while 2,000 die from smoking-related illnesses every day. The number of tobacco caused deaths will reach 8,000 per day in next 35 years. Despite health damages, the government refuses to implement measures for reducing the number of smokers because it protects the tobacco industry, which does not only fill the state’s budget but also employs almost 17 million workers. Last year the country exported $578,044 worth tobacco, which was a small decrease compared to a year ago. The main importers of China’s tobacco were Indonesia and Belgium, which received almost half of tobacco intended for export.
5. India
Exported value: 638,724
Like in previously mentioned China, smoking death toll represents a pressing issue in the fifth country on our list of 10 countries that export the most tobacco in the world. At the beginning of this year, the government introduced new packaging rules concerning health warnings. Major tobacco companies first responded by shutting down factories and then by suing the government while claiming that industry lost $850 million because of the new rules. The total worth of tobacco industry in India is $11 billion, and the country exported 205,611 tons of the crop to about 100 countries. The leading importers of Indian tobacco are Western and East Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
4. Zimbabwe
Exported value: 864,954
Zimbabwe is a leading tobacco producer and exporter in Africa. The rise of the commodity production began in 2000 when President Robert Mugabe decided to take away farms from white owners and give them to the blacks. In the last 16 years, the number of farmers who focus solely on growing tobacco has risen from 4,500 to 72,000.
The tobacco production in Zimbabwe is expected to continue to decline in 2016 due to severe droughts that affects the lives of 4 million people. Last year the commodity export constituted a third of the total international shipment, which is significantly more compared to platinum or gold. Although it is predicted that tobacco output will decline 15 percent in 2016, the crop’s export will remain one of the main contributors to Zimbabwe’s budget.
3. Belgium
Exported value: $870,665
Among listed countries, Belgium produces the least tobacco. According to the latest data, the crop’s output is only 190 tons annually. However, Belgium imports thousands of tons of the commodity, and a significant share of it is re-exported which is the main reason why the country found a place on our ranking. In 2015, Belgium exported 164,509 tons of the crop whose value was a little more than $870,000, which is almost 50 percent increase compared to 2011. Germany and Poland are Belgium’s main export destinations.
2. United States
Exported value: $1,154,463
Tobacco, which is native to America, had been consumed in the states long before first European settled the continent. However, commercial use began when colonists started to plant seeds and export the crop to England in the 17th century. The production reached the peak in the 1950s when 512,000 farms grow the plant. Since then the number of tobacco farms has been on a decline, but the US has remained one of the world’s top producers and exporters. In 2015, the country exported 58,083 tons whose value was $1.15 million. China, Mexico, and Europe are the main importers of American tobacco.
1. Brazil
Exported value: $2,109,284
Brazil ranks as first on our list of 10 countries that export the most tobacco in the world. Since 1990, the production of the crop has risen by 94 percent. The main reason behind the tobacco industry growth is its profitability – income from one hectare of tobacco equals income from 6.5 hectares of maize and 9.6 hectares of beans. Brazilian tobacco is known for high quality that results from the fact that farmers rely on manual labor instead of mechanization during all stages of production. Since the country doesn’t have the high number of tobacco consumers, the greatest share of produced crop ends up in foreign countries. The worth of the crop’s export in 2015 was 2.1 million, which is a decline of more than one million compared to 2012. The leading importers of tobacco from Brazil are Belgium and China.
