Flue-cured tobacco was initially introduced into the clayey soils of Andhra Pradesh in India around the year 1930 by ILTD Company (now known as I.T.C. Limited-ILTD Division). Even now, this growth has been the main stay for the domestic usage as well as for the export market. Being grown in heavy textured soils, under essentially reserve moisture conditions, the quality of this tobacco predominantly conforms to a coloury filler. The present production of this growth is around 100 million kilograms annually. In recent times, there has been a marked shift in the style of flue-cured tobacco required in the world markets. Ripe, open grained tobaccos, lemon orange to orange in colour, flavourful in nature with good filling power are essentially preferred. The chemistry of the tobacco, particularly the nicotine and sugar levels, is also gaining importance in view of the close relationship with the smoking characteristics of the tobacco. To effectively meet these changing r equirements in the international market, the research and development wing of ILTD carried out extensive and detailed surveys and located potential tracts of sandy belts in the States of Andhra and Karnataka. These two growths now produce approximately 35-40 million kilograms of flue-cured tobacco which conforms to international quality standards. Further, there appears to be a potential to improve both the productivity and quality of this growth to make it more competitive in the international markets. Towards this"quest for quality in Indian tobacco, continuous field experiments and extension trials are undertaken for implementing improved production practices, right from the seed bed management to plant position grading of tobacco. India being a vast country with varying soil types and agroclimatic regions, it can offer great potential in meeting the qualitative and quantitative requirements of tobaccos of importing countries.