The Central Tobacco Research Institute (CTRI) in Rajahmundry has released a new white Burley tobacco variety named Swetha. The new variety reportedly is resistant to black shank and mosaic pests usually noticed in the white Burley tobacco, and its performance in terms of yields is also satisfactory. The institute has worked for 15 years on the variety which has a lower percentage of harmful substances in comparison with the existing varieties of Blanket-A1 and Burley-21.