BAT Vietnam - Switching to using loose-leaf barn: Multiple benefits
Many businesses and locals are involved in the cultivation and purchase of tobacco leaves in Krong Pa, Gia Lai - where BAT has one of the largest leaf-growing areas in Vietnam. This plant has helped 700-800 households earn a better living for many years.
For every hectare of tobacco, farmers need about 8-10 steres of firewood to dry their tobacco leaves. Recently, many households are gradually switching to using loose-leaf barn for the drying process, which has high efficiency in each drying batch, saves costs, and reduces deforestation during the drying season, contributing to forest sustainability.
The switch to using loose-leaf barns (LLB) is an inevitable trend toward sustainable development in tobacco cultivation in Krong Pa District as well as many other leaf-growing areas in Vietnam.
At BAT Vietnam, the Loose-Leaf Barn project was successfully deployed in 2020 with the aim of reducing fuel use as well as GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions, improving curing efficiency, and improving curing quality.
Some benefits of LLB use are safety, stem increase, 5% leaf damage reduction, a saving of VND712 per kilo of fuel, a saving of VND2,870 per kilo of labor costs, and a 90% localization rate. This has helped BAT achieve a net positive impact on forests, and aim for net zero deforestation of managed forests in its supply chain.
As an international business focusing on sustainable development and community support, BAT Vietnam has been supporting the locals in leaf-growing areas to invest in LLB, which is not only in Gia Lai but also in Daklak, and Son La. Up to 2023, 32 LLBs had received investment, much higher than the 11 in 2022 and 2 in 2021. BAT Vietnam is expecting to reach 50 LLBs in 2024, 100 in 2025 and 500 in 2030, contributing to reducing its environmental impacts, protecting natural resources and creating value for society.
