The production of tobacco for export had reached an estimated value of 179 million dollars by the end of 1997. This includes both cigars and cigarettes and was far superior to the previous record of 115 million dollars obtained in 1991, when this important industry went into decline.

    Exports of cigars grew by 40% and cigarettes by 10% while income increased by 70%.

    In 1998, tobacco production grew by 59%, with gross income from exports rising to an estimated 240 million dollars from the sale of 160 million cigars abroad.

    These increases must be guaranteed by an increase in output. In the 1997 campaign 3,855 caballerias were sown and in 1998 this increased to 4,300.

    Cuba plans to export 200 million cigars in the year 2000. The most famous Cuban cigar brands in the world are Cohiba, Cuaba, Vegas Robaina and Trinidad.

    Historians assure us that the first great tobacco plantations in Cuba were created during the 17th century in the east of the island and they extended progressively towards the west. The apex of this crop coincided with the emigration of thousands of people from the Canary Islands, Spain, at the end of the 19th century. These people settled in the following areas, Sancti Spiritus, Villa Clara and also Pinar del Rio.

    Cuba exports black and golden tobacco. After the triumph of the revolution, the production of tobacco experienced an apex, reaching its highest historical levels.

    In 1957, production was 50,500 tons; in the harvest of 1975/76, it grew to 51,500 tons. But distinct factors caused a deterioration in the harvest yields. Among them was the tobacco mildew disease that started to invade the plantations after 1978. The harvest deteriorated to the point that in 1979/80 they only collected 6,700 tons, the lowest collection of tobacco in history.

    The first four harvests after the revolution were the highest and most stables in the history of Cuban tobacco with annual yields reaching over 50,000 tons. This was possibly the highest output obtained surpassing 600kg/hectare. The harvests between 1966-1968 were above 45,000 tons, later descending to only 24,757 tons in 1971.

    At that stage, measures were taken to achieve a recovery in production and it was possible to obtain a recovery in production and there was a progressive increase that in 1976 reached 50,669 tons, the best harvest for 15 years.

    These increases were not stable and produced a new decrease that reached a critical point in 1980 with a harvest of only 7,636 tons, the lowest harvest in the whole of this century caused by the devastating effects of tobacco mildew, 80% of the production was lost. The highest yield in this period was obtained in the harvest of 1965-1966 with 876kg/hectare.

    At the end of the decade of the seventies, the government put into operation a process of cooperativization in farming areas that gave a significant boost to the activity.

    Most of the country's production is concentrated in the province of Pinar del Rio. On a lesser scale, there are plantations extended throughout the national territory that are extending and increasing. But the principal and most widely known ones besides that mentioned are in the provinces of Santi Spiritu, Villa Clara, Las Tunas, Ciego de Avila, Camaguey, Cienfuegos, Holguin and Granma.

    The handing over of plots of land that had remained idle to families for their use, with the aim of having them exploited as part of the current reforms, opened up the cultivation of tobacco. Some 14,000 hectares had been handed over for the cultivation of tobacco to 7,000 families and this raises the number of new people involved in the production of tobacco to 26,000. 75% of total production is in the hands of the private sector.

    The largest per cent of the area under cultivation is dedicated to black tobacco and as a result this type of tobacco is the most widely obtained. The favorable tendency with respect to output is veering towards golden tobacco. In the case of black tobacco, irrigation limitations obtain that have impeded its stabilization and growth in output. There are also difficulties present in the mechanization of its cultivation and collection, which is very dependent on climatic conditions and needs a specialized work force.

    In 1981, there was a record yield in the tobacco harvest with 53,635 tons. After 1990, production reduced noticeably due to the general shortage of supplies and fuel. As a result, the production figures have been below 30,000 annually.

Freehand.ru