Tobacco Growers in Western Cuba Expand Plantations

[El Presidente]

let's hope they have good weather this year. They need a bumper wrapper crop after back to back poor seasons. Tobacco Growers in Western Cuba Expand Plantations

Cuba News Agency

HAVANA, Cuba, Oct 16 (acn) Tobacco planting in western Pinar del Rio will use over 15 thousand 900 hectares of land for the 2014-2015 campaign, 115 hectares more than last year, when the local production was well below schedules particularly due to bad weather.

Tobacco leaf production in Pinar del Rio, the Cuban territory considered as the cradle of cigars, mostly lies on the shoulders of private farmers and cooperatives, who contribute over 90 percent of the national production.

The upcoming campaign will be backed by nearly 10 growers grouped in different cooperative modalities operating on the island.

[tjohn7]

I'll be thinking good thoughts and hoping for a great harvest!

[bradbrennan]

Crazy difference to our farming. My small grain farmer neighbor increased their production by approximately 10 times that amount this year. And it's only a five man operation

[mikek]

It should make for better cigars in the long run,with more leaf selection I would think.

[Baldy]

It should make for better cigars in the long run,with more leaf selection I would think.

Maybe. The problem is not more leaf selection but bad weather the past 2 seasons.

[garbandz]

I am surprised to hear of this.Two bad seasons in a row .

Was the problem confined to wrapper only?

[El Presidente]

I am surprised to hear of this.Two bad seasons in a row .

Was the problem confined to wrapper only?

Wrapper from this year's 2014/15 crop will be used predominantly in 2016/17 cigars.

If you have two poor crops in a row (small wrappers, low yield), then it limits production of particularly larger format cigars.

They have greater stores of Ligero and Seco (5 years as I understand).

[anacostiakat]

Good luck to them! They have gotten slammed.

[CUBANO]

Hopefully that means more money for the farmer. They can use every penny they can get.

[PuffDaddie]

I agree with Cubano.

[Zedman05]

Just because they expand into new lands to bump up the numbers, doesn't mean the tobacco off that soil will be the same. Has that land been used for tobacco before ? Does it have the same mineral content as the overused section that already exists ?

I am worried/possibly excited about what this could bring. I just hope that the farmers aren't working themselves into a corner where they make too much wrapper now for the amount of filler stores they have, and thus bringing their price down on their product.

Good luck Cuban farmers, I hope it works out on all sides.

Cigar F^iend

[earthson]

Guess I'll be investing in petit corona/minuto futures!

[Chunks96ss]

When is the season over?

[pbibby]

Good luck and great weather to those farmers!

[El Presidente]

Just because they expand into new lands to bump up the numbers, doesn't mean the tobacco off that soil will be the same. Has that land been used for tobacco before ? Does it have the same mineral content as the overused section that already exists ?

I am worried/possibly excited about what this could bring. I just hope that the farmers aren't working themselves into a corner where they make too much wrapper now for the amount of filler stores they have, and thus bringing their price down on their product.

Good luck Cuban farmers, I hope it works out on all sides.

Cigar F^iend

The amount of tobacco planted really comes down to what the Government will pay for it. There is plenty of great tobacco soil that has been used (since around 2008) for other crops as they simply generate more income for the farmer/grower. Tobacco grown has actually decreased over the past 8 years in line with the decrease in demand from the major cigar markets of Europe (particularly Spain).

If the Government pays more money (incentive), those lands that were once used for tobacco will be used for tobacco again.