The tobacco plant is a so called solanaceous herb. Tobacco became known to the world together with the existence of the american continent. At the beginning the plant was said to be a healing plant. Today we all know that it is one of the most dangerous drugs in the world. Let’s have a look on how it is being cultivated.
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The most important vegetal attribute of the tobacco plant is obviously its ability to produce nicotine, which is a so called alkaloid. There is different tobacco plants in the world, some that have a tree-form and grow up to a height of 30ft and other, more common tobacco plants that are more like bushes and can reach only a maximum height of about 6ft. The last one is more popular, as it produces more nicotine. This makes it the favourite one for cultivation. Usually plantations spread a very uncomfortable smell. There are plants in seaseon and continuous plants. |
Just as mentioned above, tobacco contains nicotine, which is a harmful alkaloid. Tests have shown that 54 out of 64 known types of tobacco plants contain significant amounts of this alkaloid. Though cigarettes are being made out of the leaves, most of the nicotine is being produced in the root. Afterwards it is being transported into the leaves by "Xylem" which is a transport chemical contained in woody plants.
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At the beginning of the 21st century 90% of all tobacco plants have been planted in southern countries. Because of the tropical and subtropical climate the tobacco plant is able to grow best in those countries. Anyway, tobacco is still being planted in the United States too for traditional reasons. During the last decades the plantations have been displaced to cheaper countries like china. The highest amount of tobacco plants is being cultivated in china today, because the climate is good, and the planting cheap. This way the tobacco industry is able to maximise profit. In the year 2000 the worldwide acreage for tobacco was about 4,1 million hectare and the total amount of tobacco harvested was 7,1 million tons. With 1,5 million hectare and 2,6 million tons china was the biggest tobacco grower in the world. The following pictures and charts show you the allocation of tobacco cultivation in the world. |
The highlighted states are states with a harvest amount of over 100.000 tons of tobacco every year. China makes about 38% of the amount. The Following charts show the amount of tobacco imported/exported worldwide.
| Tobacco Imports and Exports in 2004 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Country | Import in Mill. US-Dollars |
Export in Mill. US-Dollars |
| Japan | 2.866 | 253 |
| France | 2.258 | 851 |
| Italy | 2.041 | 276 |
| Germany | 1.950 | 2.951 |
| Spain | 1.912 | 222 |
| China | 1.473 | 1.170 |
| USA | 1.343 | 2.654 |
| Netherlands | 1.298 | 3.784 |
| Sum Länder | 15.141 | 14.815 |
In the United States the growing of tobacco began long before the european conquerors arrived. Native Americans used the drug as a stimulant. It was one of the first things, Europeans learned to know about America – and the harmful drug quickly became very popular. Even today it is still being cultivated in many states. The Picture below shows you the states that still plant tobacco plants today.
We hope this article is able to open up your eyes and show you that smoking is not only the problem of single individuals. It is a worldwide problem, that has to be dealt with.
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