Today, Cuba’s tobacco fields are lush and plentiful. Photo credit: Timothy Donahue
Cuban farmers have faced many challenges over the past few years. In 2022, Hurricane Ian decimated tobacco farms in Pinar del Rio, a remote part of the island about 100 miles from Havana. This area is on the island's Western side and is known for growing the rich golden leaf used in some of the most expensive cigars in the world.
The province is responsible for more than 60% of the country's total tobacco production and most of the raw material destined for export. However, Ian leveled 90% of the area’s curing barns (more than 10,000), significantly reducing the island’s ability to grow tobacco.
Then, in 2024, Hurricane Helene was quickly followed by Hurricane Rafael, which destroyed much of Pinar del Rio's progress after Hurricane Ian.
Today, the tobacco in the fields is lush and plentiful. The many curing barns destroyed by the hurricanes have been rebuilt; however, the newer barns are larger and better built to, hopefully, withstand the devastation of future storms. Farmers say production has almost returned to pre-2022 levels.
Osvaldo Santana, the representative of the Tabacuba Business Group, the government entity responsible for growing and producing Cuban cigars, told Tobacco Asia during a trip to the island for the Festival del Habanos XXV that more than seven thousand producers are currently under contract to grow more than 12,500 hectares of tobacco, an increase of nearly 4,000 hectares compared to the final 2024 growing season.
“Following the heavy rains recorded in the territory, associated with Hurricane Helene, which damaged 9,000 seedbeds, it was necessary to reschedule the sowing schedule,” said Santana through a translator. “In the case of covered (shade-grown) tobacco, the Burley and Virginia seed varieties are improving rapidly, and all the resources (fertilizers, fuel, equipment, etc.) required for the 2025 harvest are assured.”
During a visit to the Juan Carlos Perez farm, which farms an estimated 40 hectares (about 100 acres), the tobacco was full, and the leaves were large and clean of any damage. While Perez had a new curing barn, which he said was only recently completed, it was empty of any tobacco.
“Hurricane Ian destroyed all the farms in San Luis and San Juan y Martinez (the two main towns in the Pinar del Rio region). We lost everything. All the tobacco was washed away. We then faced more complications after Helene and Rafeal,” Perez said through a translator. “Our current crop is growing very well, and we will be able to fill the barn and once again provide the leaf for the finest (cigars) in Cuba. It has been a great relief, and the government has been very helpful in our recovery.”
The two shade-grown tobacco farms - used mainly for the wrapper of premium Cuban cigars - were the most impressive farms visited during the festival. Junior Nunez Ortiz owns the smaller of the two shade-grown farms visited during the festival. Ortiz also farms 40 hectares of land, all used exclusively to grow the coveted leaf for cigar wrappers. He said that after the damaging effects of the recent hurricanes, this year’s crop looks “very, very good,” with healthy plants sprouting large leaves.
The other shade-grown that was briefly seen was huge. The cheesecloth used to keep the tobacco covered from the exposure to sun, rain, and wind seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. While festivalgoers could not tour the facility, it was easy to see that the tobacco was as plentiful and healthy as Ortiz’s smaller farm. It seems Cuba’s farms are coming back in full force.