22nd Century’s Receives USDA Phytosanitary Certificate to Export Proprietary Tobacco Seeds

Source:  22nd Century Group, Inc.

Central American growing program may enable the Company to bring reduced exposure tobacco products to price-conscious smokers around the world.

22nd Century Group, Inc. (NYSE MKT:XXII), a leader in tobacco harm reduction, announced today that the Company is exporting multiple varieties of its proprietary tobacco seeds to Central America for testing and possible expanded agricultural production. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a phytosanitary certificate to 22nd Century to facilitate export of the Company’s proprietary Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) seeds to growers in Central America. 


22nd Century remains committed to utilizing US-grown tobacco for cigarettes manufactured for sale in the United States and other countries. However, in order to satisfy demand for its proprietary tobacco in parts of the world unable to afford premium-priced leaf, 22nd Century is conducting field trials with select growers in Central America.

The first crops grown from the Company’s proprietary tobacco varieties in Central America will come due for harvest in early 2016. 22nd Century anticipates that the field trials will produce tobacco that compares favorably with the Company’s previous contract-grown crops. With growing seasons all year long, plentiful rainfall, and tens of thousands of acres of suitable farmland, Central American farms have the potential to produce large quantities of quality tobacco leaf for 22nd Century – at extremely attractive prices.

“Some of the world’s largest cigarette markets are highly price sensitive,” explained Henry Sicignano, III, President and CEO of 22nd Century. “Our Central American growing program may enable 22nd Century to provide price-conscious smokers in many parts of the world with incredibly important products that no other company can provide, including Very Low Nicotine tobacco cigarettes – with 95% less nicotine than conventional cigarettes – as recently described in The New England Journal of Medicine.”