HAVANA, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Cuba is expanding its tobacco plantations to boost the production of its famed cigars, which bring in 400 million U.S. dollars in annual exports, Justo Luis Fuentes, president of the state-owned Tabacuba Cigar Factory, said.
"In the last campaign, we sowed around 28,000 hectares of tobacco. In the 2017-2018 campaign, ... we are seeking to reach 29,600 hectares," Fuentes said.
The campaign, jointly run with Altadis, a multinational manufacturer and purveyor of tobacco, cigarettes and cigars, would see over 19,000 hectares of tobacco planted in Cuba's western province of Pinal del Rio, known to the world for its suitable soil.
Virginio Morales, a Tabacuba specialist, explained that this is the ideal weather for sowing tobacco. "People naturally want to seize this opportunity nature has provided them," he said.
The first days of March have been seeing farmers bent over their fields, with around 16,000 seasonal workers helping in the mammoth effort.
In Vueltabajo, a region accounting for 70 percent of Cuba's tobacco production, Virginia tobacco is being grown. The crop is for the dedicated use of a cigar factory in the Mariel Special Development Zone.
With a favorable climate, increase in tobacco plantation areas, and new high-yield varieties of tobacco being sown, Morales anticipates a far superior harvest than in 2016-2017, which was the best in 11 years with a 12-percent year-on-year growth.
Habanos, the state-owned company responsible for promoting and exporting Cuban cigars worldwide, has distributors in over 150 countries. However, the United States is not among them due to the ongoing economic embargo.
To counteract that, Habanos is seeking to boost its presence in China, its third largest market with great potential.