Tobacco is an important commercial crop grown in the country. It occupies third position in the world with aproduction of about 680 Million Kgs. Of different types grown, flue-cured tobacco, country tobacco, burley, bidi, rustica and chewing tobacco are important. India, as an exporter of tobacco, ranks sixth in the world next to Brazil, China, USA, Malawi and Italy. Tobacco and tobacco products earn a whopping sum of about Rs.7319 crores to the national exchequer in terms of excise revenue and foreign exchange of Rs.1362 Crores (2004-05). Furthermore, tobacco provides gainful employment to several lakhs of people who thrive on this weed crop. Flue-cured growth, with a production of about 240 million Kgs, is the singular type which contributes huge amount of forex and excise earnings. More or less, 50% of the FCV tobacco produced is consumed domestically while the rest is exported to more than 100 countries across the globe. Other tobacco types viz., Burley, Country tobacco, Chewing tobaccos (Lal chopadia, Judi and Rustica) are also exported where as bidi tobacco - a poor man's smoke - is consumed within the country.