General Tobacco Facts
Pitt County
- Pitt County is the largest flue-cured tobacco producing
county
in the United States.
- Since 1999, tobacco production in Pitt County has declined by 49%. In 1999, flue-cured tobacco was produced on 17,337 acres and 38,956,239 pounds were reported to having been sold at auction warehouses. The value of the crop in 1999 was $67, 394,293. In 2004, flue-cured tobacco was produced on 8,837 acres producing 20,014,501 pounds. The total value of the 2004 tobacco crop in Pitt County was $33,368,986.
- In 1998, tobacco was produced on 13,384 acres in Pitt
County with a total yield of 31,939,000 pounds. Carryover for
the county was reported to be 1,617,000. Based on an average
price of $1.77 per pound, tobacco was valued at $53,669,940 for
Pitt County. The total number of pounds sold in Pitt County was
30,332,000 in 1998. The average yield per acre was 2,386 pounds.
- In 1999, Pitt County sold 23,250,696 pounds of tobacco
produced on 11,181 acres.
- In 2000, the number of planted acres for Pitt County was
9,187.71 acres. The number of pounds of tobacco sold was
20,144,702 with an average yield of 2481 pounds per acre.
- For 2001, the effective quota for Pitt County will be
19,972,680 pounds being produced on 9,534 acres. The amount of
tobacco contracted will be 80% and three tobacco warehouses have
planned to auction tobacco.
- In 2005, flue-cured tobacco was produced on 7233.86 acres in Pitt County.
- In 2006, flue cured tobacco was produced on 8,203.33 acres which was a 13.4% increase over 2005 levels. Burley tobacco was produced on 88.94 acres in 2006.
- There were 474 tobacco farms in Pitt County in 1997.
Tobacco was produced on 245 of these.
General Tobacco Facts
- 10% of the Cuban economy is believed to be related to the
tobacco industry in that country.
- 9.73% of tobacco was sold on contract during the 2000
marketing season. (50 million pounds)
- In 2000, there were 31 sets of USDA graders and 49 tobacco
markets.
- In 2000, 80.5% of tobacco sold was classifed to be "mature,
ripe, and mellow". This was the highest percentage in this
category since 1974.
- Tobacco represents 14% of the total cash crop value in North
Carolina.
- There are about 12,000 tobacco farmers in North Carolina and
about 80,000 allotment holders. 16,000 workers are involved in
processing, manufacturing, wholesale and retail outlets, and
related industries.
- The 1999 flue-cured tobacco quota declined by 17.5 %
in
1999
after an 18 % decline in 1998. The 1999 burley tobacco quota
declined by 28 % in 1999. North Carolina farm sales of tobacco in
1999 likely will be reduced over $160 million from 1998 and $380
million from 1997.
- In 1950, the US produced 25% of the world's flue-cured
production. In 2000, that
figure is expected to be 6%.
- Tobacco is #7 in terms of cash value among
agricultural commodities in the United States.
In terms of economic returns, it would take
seven acres
of cotton to replace one acre of tobacco.
- North Carolina farm sales of tobacco in 1997 were
almost
$1.2
billion; about 14% of North Carolina farm receipts.
- In tobacco, the top six producing states have 94% of
production. Tobacco is produced
in 16 states and in 568 tobacco producing counties in the United
States.
- More cigarettes were produced in 1996 than any other year
in history.
- Tobacco growing requires about 250 man hours of labor
per acre harvested. By
comparison, it takes about three man-hours to grow and
harvest an acre
of wheat. The
more than one-half million farm families involved directly
and indirectly
in producing
tobacco in the U.S. were aided by additional seasonal
workers.
- In total, tobacco directly and indirectly employs 2.3
million
Americans.
- About one out of every 11 workers in North Carolina
depends
on tobacco for his or her
livelihood. Tobacco directly and indirectly provides
jobs for
more than 280,000 North
Carolinians.
- North Carolina produces more than 40% of all tobacco
grown in the U.S. and 60% of
all flue-cured tobacco.
- In terms of alternative crops, there is no commodity
in short
supply that farmers can
switch to and find a profitable market.
- In 1991, local and state treasuries received $161.6
million
in total tax revenues from the
tobacco core and supplier sectors in North Carolina,
including consumer
excise and sales
taxes, and personal and corporate income taxes.
- Based on current tax trends, one acre of tobacco is
equal to
$62,685 in taxes
- Tobacco is the world's leading non-food crop. It is grown in
more than 100 countries.
- Tobacco accounts for 5 percent of the state's gross product,
or about $11 billion. It ranks second to textiles among North
Carolina industries.
Tobacco Exports
Tobacco Imports
- In 1998, 281.2 million pounds of tobacco were imported into
the United States. The top four importing countries are Brazil,
Zimbabwe, Argentina, and Malawi.
- Flue-cured imports peaked in 1993 at 284.7 million pounds.
In 2000, 254.2 million pounds of tobacco were imported. Of this
amount, 47% was flue-cured tobacco.
- .8 pounds of tobacco is used to produce 1000 cigarettes.
- Flue-cured imports average 107 million pounds per year.
General Agriculture
- According to the USDA-Agricultural Marketing Service, 407.5
million pounds of flue-cured tobacco was sold in North Carolinal
for more than $729.4 million in 2000.
- Approximately 60% of the flue-cured tobacco production is
within the Neuse River and Tar-Pamlico River basins.
- North Carolina's agribusiness which included farming,
manufacturing, wholesaling, and retailing, delivers $48.8 billion
into the State's economy.
- NC Agribusiness employs almost 22 percent of the state's
total workforce.
- North Carolina ranks third in agricultural diversity.
- In 1998, it has been estimated that there are 50,000 farmers
in North Carolina.
- There are approximately 10.5 million acres of farm land in
North Carolina.
- Agriculture contributes $42 billion to our state's economy
each year.
This page
(http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/pitt/ag/tobacco/tobfacts.html) was
created by Mitch Smith on November
16, 1998
and updated on September 1, 2006.