Walloped by hurricane, Cuba's tobacco sector struggles to its feet

Walloped by hurricane, Cuba's tobacco sector struggles to its feet

In 2021, Cuba exported cigars worth $568 million according to the latest figures published by Habanos S.A -- a 15 percent increase from the year before
In 2021, Cuba exported cigars worth $568 million according to the latest figures published by Habanos S.A -- a 15 percent increase from the year before. Photo: Yamil LAGE / AFP
Source: AFP

PAY ATTENTION: Celebrate South African innovators, leaders and trailblazers with us! Click to check out Women of Wonder 2022 by Briefly News!

Cuban farmer Maritza Carpio, 62, is optimistic. Five months after Hurricane Ian wreaked havoc on the island nation and its vital tobacco industry, she has started drying leaves for habano cigars again.

Carpio, who inherited a 5.6-hectare farm from her parents, said she will never forget September 27, 2022, when Cuba's west coast was battered for hours on end by Ian, with gusts of up to 208 kilometers (129 miles) per hour.

The Category 3 hurricane was particularly rough on the Vuelta Abajo region -- described as Cuba's tobacco triangle.

Cuban drying houses, with roofs of palm leaves or tin, allow the leaves to dry gradually without losing their flexibility
Cuban drying houses, with roofs of palm leaves or tin, allow the leaves to dry gradually without losing their flexibility. Photo: Yamil LAGE / AFP
Source: AFP

Trees were uprooted, roofs blown off, fields flooded, and tobacco drying houses collapsed.

PAY ATTENTION: Follow us on Instagram - get the most important news directly in your favourite app!

Carpio is rebuilding hers, "stronger and more modern" this time, she told AFP while overseeing workers installing roof panels on the wooden structure.

Read also

From his farm to Alaska, Jimmy Carter leaves environmental legacy

Drying houses, with their roofs of palm leaves or tin, allow tobacco leaves to brown gradually without losing their flexibility due to a perfect mix of temperature, humidity and airflow.

Tobacco farmers in western Cuba are starting to recover five months after the devastating passage of Hurricane Ian
Tobacco farmers in western Cuba are starting to recover five months after the devastating passage of Hurricane Ian. Photo: Yamil LAGE / AFP
Source: AFP

Planting is pointless if the leaves cannot be dried in optimal conditions directly after harvest.

"Once I was sure the drying house would be ready, I decided to plant," Carpio said, showing off her plants now standing a meter (3.2 feet) tall.

Rolled tobacco is one of Cuba's main exports, along with fisheries products, nickel and vaccines.

As Cuba battles its worst economic crisis in three decades, the government and state-owned company Tabacuba -- which buys 95 percent of its crops from private producers -- provided aid to farmers like Carpio in the form of donations of materials, and cheap loans.

Replaced by corn, beans

A few kilometers from Carpio's farm, 50-year-old Rafael Perez is adding finishing touches to his own tobacco drying house despite great obstacles finding materials.

Read also

Ukraine war turns French port of Rouen into grain powerhouse

He planted 60,000 plants on his two-hectare property, and has started harvesting. But he was relatively lucky.

The 23rd edition of The Habano Festival opens in Havana next week after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic
The 23rd edition of The Habano Festival opens in Havana next week after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: Yamil LAGE / AFP
Source: AFP

"Many neighbors have been unable to grow tobacco because they do not have a drying house," Perez told AFP.

The remains of destroyed tobacco houses dot the landscape.

On some farms, corn or beans have replaced tobacco. Others gave up altogether.

"I used to be proud of growing tobacco. I like what I do. It was my family's livelihood," said Bisniel Benitez, 33, who went into tobacco farming four years ago.

But Ian lifted the roof off his drying house and ruined the turbine he and other farmers used for irrigation.

A father of one, Benitez now works as a day laborer, having used the little savings he had to repair hurricane damage to his home.

Producers say it will take eight to ten years for tobacco production in the province of Pinar del Rio to get back to normal
Producers say it will take eight to ten years for tobacco production in the province of Pinar del Rio to get back to normal. Photo: Yamil LAGE / AFP
Source: AFP

"To have worked so long for something that collapsed" in a few hours "makes you want to cry," he said.

Read also

Chinese livestreamers flock outdoors for late-night tips

Producers say it will take eight to 10 years for the province of Pinar del Rio, which produces 65 percent of Cuban tobacco, to get back to normal.

But that is only if there is not another hurricane in a region frequently ravaged by tropical storms.

In 2021, Cuba exported cigars worth $568 million, according to the latest figures published by Habanos S.A. -- a 15 percent increase from the year before despite the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Spain, China, Germany, France and Switzerland are the top buyers.

Next week, the 23rd edition of the Habano Festival opens in Havana after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The festival is the world's leading showcase for premium cigars.

Cuba's 2022 export figures are to be released there.

PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ click on “Recommended for you” and enjoy!

Source: AFP

Authors:
AFP avatar

AFP AFP text, photo, graphic, audio or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer or otherwise except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service, AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, videos, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP material. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP material.