August 2024 – On August 9, the Interstate Tobacco Industry Union (SindiTabaco) hosted a meeting to formalize the closure of the tobacco pre-inspection procedure, 2023/2024 crop year, one of the requirements of the bilateral trade protocol between Brazil and China. The meeting was held in hybrid format, with the virtual presence of the technicians from the General Administration of Customs China (GACC) and the representative of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (Mapa) and of the National Organization for Brazilian Phytosanitary Protection (ONPF), Pedro Carneiro Abreu.
Other authorities that also attended the event are as follows: MAPA Superintendent in Grande do Sul, José Cleber de Souza; SindiTabaco president, Iro Schünke; Chief exccutive officicer at MAPA’s Inspection Service in Rio Grande do Sul, Emerson Nunes Costa; members from MAPA RS, Roque Danieli, Alan Erig and Carlos Wolmann, besides representatives from the organ in SC and PR; president of China Tobacco International in Brazil (CTIB), Zhou Xinghua; technical responsible in charge of the Central Analytical Laboratory of the University of Santa Cruz do Sul (UNISC), Adriana Dupont Schneider; representatives from the State Inspection Organs in PR an SC; Zhang Nan Zhengrong, Leader of the China |Leaf Company Delegation; as well as representatives from the companies that sell tobacco to China.
“This is a primordial moment for compliance with the protocol. The samples were collected in a very effective manner, and it is with great satisfaction that I inform you that no pests were detected in the collected samples. This once again corroborates the quality of the Brazilian tobacco. China is one of our largest importers of tobacco and this partnership plays a fundamental role for the continuity of the businesses between the two countries. We are sure that we will continue making strides in this relation”, commented Pedro Carneiro Abreu, from MAPA Brasília.
José Cleber de Souza, superintendent at MAPA RS, reinforced the importance of the results. “Our participation consists in representing this commitment, which is also shared by minister Carlos Fávaro, besides acknowledging this activity as relevant for the entire country In our understanding, this expresses our responsibility with regard to the Chinese inspection organs”, he commented.
In line with what has occurred in the past years, in an agreement with the GACC, the MAPA was in charge of collecting the processed tobacco samples and send them to the Central Analytical Laboratory of the University of Santa Cruz do Sul (UNISC) for laboratory tests that confirm the phytosanitary status of the product prior to shipment. Roque Danieli, tax auditor and head of MAPA’s Plant Health and Inputs Inspection Service in RS, presented details about the pre-inspection activities.
“During these 23 days in which we worked jointly with the GACC representatives, in virtual format, it was possible to attest to the quality of the 2023/2024 crop, and demonstrate that, at field level, the 2024/25 crop is now under cultivation with all the necessary cares in compliance with the requisites set forth on the protocol. The integrated production system gets the credit for the fact that tobacco is the commercial crop that uses the least amount of pesticides at field level, a result of the constant work of the farm extension agents. “We hope that the presentation of the works is cause for satisfaction, and next week we shall send the final report to Brasília to be forwarded to the GACC”, Danieli commented to the group.
Final report consolidates the quality of Brazilian tobacco
Zhang Nan Zhengrong, Leader of the China Leaf Company Delegation, presented the pre-inspection report to the attendees of the meeting, jointly with the technical responsible for the Central Analytical Laboratory of UNISC, professor Adriana Dupont Schneider. She gave details of the analyses. “This year we analyzed a total of 54 lots with samples collected in eight companies. The laboratory activities took 24 days, and they certified the phytosanitary safety with regard to the nine quarantine pests set forth in the agreement, of which, six are types of insects, two weeds and the fungus known as blue mold. All the results were negative for the pests included in China-Brazil trade protocol”. Schneider attested.
The GACC representative expressed its satisfaction to the meeting attendees about the final result of the pre-inspection service, and thanked the people involved, signaling that the shipments should be liberated as soon as possible. On his part, CTIB president, Zhou Xinghua, emphasized the good results achieved.
The president of SindiTabaco, Iro Schünke, reinforced the importance of China for the tobacco sector in Brazil. “Tobacco is an agricultural crop that suffers harsh criticism, but has been vigorously defended by the MAPA. This has a lot to do with the social and economic importance of the crop for our Country, especially for the South Region. China is our second-largest importer, coming only after Belgium, and every year purchases big amounts of our tobacco. And this is the moment for a special mention of the farmers that cultivate tobacco in Brazil who, along with the farm extension agents, have performed all the necessary works for our compliance with the necessary requisites that have kept Brazil as top leaf exporter over the past 30 years”, Schünke emphasized.
ABOUT SINDITABACO – Founded on 24 June 1947, the Interstate Tobacco Industry Union (SindiTabaco) is based in Santa Cruz do Sul (RS), Rio Pardo Valley, biggest tobacco production and processing hub in the world. Initially, as Tobacco Industry Union, the entity expanded its operations over the years and, since 2010, it comprises the entire national territory, except Bahia, Rio de Janeiro and Paulo. The initiatives of the entity are for the most part concentrated in the South Region of the Country, where more than 98% of the tobacco is produced, with the involvement of 626 thousand people in the rural area, in 509 municipalities. Know more at www.sinditabaco.com.br
