Tobacco- manufacturing in South Serbia

25. January 2011.

Milan Prostran, Secretary of the Farming Association within the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (SCC), said that Serbia should maintain the production of tobacco, since it was lucrative from an economic point of view. He said that top-quality tobacco was manufactured in Serbia and that the entire annual output of tobacco could be exported. “By exporting tobacco and some cigarettes, 45 to 50 million dollars could be obtained, which isn’t a small amount,” Mr. Prostran said. According to him, tobacco-manufacturing would be particularly lucrative for farmers in the southern and eastern Serbia, who have small farms and who are interested in growing oriental, small-leaved sorts of tobacco. „I think about the renewing of tobacco-manufacturing in Presevo, Bujanovac, Vladicin Han and in the area around Nis, from where the product has disappeared, although it used to be grown there for ages,” Mr. Prostran said. He pointed out that tobacco-manufacturing had nothing to do with the activities for combating smoking, since a decision to smoke or to stop smoking is made by every individual, while tobacco – manufacturing pays off from an economic viewpoint.

Mr. Prostran also said that production of tobacco on one hectare of soil would provide a job and good life to one. He added that 10,000 families earned their living from tobacco-growing now, while there used to be 140,000 of them.