Tobacco Board of India receives Golden Leaf Award

On 14 Nov, Tobacco Board of India has been awarded the 2019 Golden Leaf Award event in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The award was given in the Impressive Public Service Initiative category for its efforts to initiate various sustainability (green) initiatives in Flue-Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco cultivation in India. The award under this category is conferred   to a company or institution that introduced a public service programme or educational campaign of creativity, effectiveness to date and best use of resources. The awards are given on an annual basis to companies that have achieved outstanding performance in five categories- most impressive public service initiative, most promising new product introduction, most exciting newcomer to the industry, most outstanding service to the industry and the BMJ most committed to quality award. In 2014, the board won a Golden Leaf Award in the Most Impressive Public Service Initiative category for its implementation of an electronic auction system. India is on the fourth position for producing FCV tobacco in the world. About 88,000 FCV tobacco farmers and their families in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are dependent on this crop for their livelihood. The Golden Leaf Awards were created to recognize professional excellence and dedication in the tobacco industry by Tobacco Reporter, an international magazine in the year 2006.

Tobacco Board is a statutory body established under Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The main functions of the Board include regulating the production and curing of Virginia tobacco in India, implementation of extension and developmental activities for improving the yields and quality of tobacco, facilitating sale of tobacco through e-auctions on the auction floors of the Board, undertaking various grower welfare measures and export promotion of tobacco and tobacco products.