Black Fat is a trade term applied to a tobacco form packed especially for 
export, but which has no domestic use. Most of it goes to the West African 
countries, chiefly Nigeria and Ghana; but small quantities go to the West 
Indies. It consists principally of One Sucker dark air-cured leaf, along with 
some Kentucky and Tennessee fire-cured. The tobacco is selected very care- 
fully, particularly as to length, and tied into hands of 4 to 6 leaves each. 
It is sprayed with a mineral oil and other preparations almost to saturation, 
as it is being packed in boxes (cases), and subjected to tremendous pressure. 
The product is very dark. It is used mainly for pipe smoking by native popu- 
lations, but in some areas in Africa, it is combined with pulverized nut ker- 
nels to make snuff. 
Partly because the tobacco among some tribes serves as a medium of ex- 
change, and partly because of fixed tastes and preferences of the consumers, 
the requirements of the trade are very rigid. They vary according to locality, 
but important considerations among them relate to the type or class of to- 
bacco, quality, color, size of the leaf (both length and width), body (thick- 
ness), kind and percent of dressing, moisture content, number of leaves per 
head, number of heads per package or container, and size and shape of the con- 
tainer. 
UNITED STATES EXPORTS OF TOSACCO PRODUCTS 
The major manufactured tobacco product exported from the United States is 
cigarettes. Relatively small quantities of smoking tobacco, chewing tobacco, 
and cigars also go into the export market. United States cigarettes go into 
many foreign countries, among which the leading ones are Malaysia, Hong Kong, 
Netherland Antilles, France, Spain, Kuwait, Republic of Panama, Netherlands, 
Canary Islands, Paraguay, Italy, and Australia. 
UNITED STATES IMPORTS OF UNMANUFACTURED TO3ACCO 
Although the United States is the world's largest producer and exporter 
of unmanufactured tobacco, it is also the third largest tobacco importing cou- 
try in the free world (exceeded only by the United Kingdom and Germany). This 
is true because of the great demand in this country for certain specific kinds 
of foreign tobacco. 
Cigarette leaf is the principal kind of unmanufactured tobacco imported, 
and the Oriental type, primarily used in the manufacture of blended ciga- 
rettes, makes up practically 100 percent of cigarette leaf imported. Most of 
it comes from Turkey and Greece, but small quantities are also obtained from 
several other countries. Cigar leaf types make up the remaining imports; these 
are mainly for filler but small quantities are also imported for use as cigar 
wrapper. Prior to the embargo imposed in February, 1962, Cuba had been the 
principal supplier of cigar leaf imports. The Philippine Islands now are the 
leading source, followed by the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Brazil. 
Plastic 
