Tobacco Planting Campaign Kicks off in Central Cuba  

Source from:  Radio Cadena Agramonte 09/11/2012

Tobacco farmers in this central Cuban province kicked off the 2012-2013 tobacco cultivation campaign, which includes the planting of 1 200 hectares with new seedlings. Over 68 seedbeds will guarantee 111 million seedlings needed to meet the scheduled planting program, particularly based on tobacco varieties that have proven their high resistance to pests and diseases,along with their good adaptation to local soils in the central region. Development director with the Provincial Tobacco Leaf Collection Office, Jose Gonzalez, told the Cuban news agency that an important number of resources is available to develop the seedbeds, such as fertilizers, pesticides and fuel. But along with the resources, achieving a good seedbed requires good culture and dedication, said Elicer Perez, a 30-year-old farmer, who expects to produce over 20 million seedlings this year. Sancti Spiritus tobacco growers look forward to harvesting over 2 700 tons of tobaco leaves, a figure surpassing the output of the most recent campaign in the region. However, such volume would still be quite below the record set in the 1980s when local farmers produced 5 200 tons of tobacco leaves in one year. More than 90 percent of the leaves cultivated in Sancti Spiritus is dedicated to the production of cigarrettes, given the strength of the leaves. Enditem