The companies affiliated with SindiTabaco, in South Brazil, produce leaf tobacco of the Nicotiana tabacum, L. species, submitted to a natural or artificial curing process, destined for cigarettes, shreds and other purposes. The tobacco produced in the three southern states of Brazil is split into two groups: Galpão Tobacco (GT) and Flue-Cured (FC).
The varieties of this group are so-called because the leaves are cured in naturally ventilated barns, and the curing process takes about 40 days. In South Brazil, two varieties of this group are produced: Burley and Galpão Comum, both dark shaded, and their share in the total tobacco volumes is approximately 14% and 1%, respectively.
This group comprises light-colored leaf tobacco, cured in barns under controlled temperature and moisture levels (flue cured), in a process that is concluded in five to seven days.
This group includes all the Virginia varieties, which account for 85% of the volume produced in the 2013/2014 crop, from a survey by PriceWaterhouseCoopers. The Amarelinho variety was also produced in the South Region, and achieved its peak volume in the 1988/1989 crop, with 43,201 tons (11% of the total volume). For reasons of market preference, its production was gradually diminished until it was terminated in 1997.
