Cuban Growers Start Tobacco Sowing Season

Source from:  Radio Cadena Agramonet 10/12/2012

Tobacco farmers in this western Cuban province, famous for its excellent product, are beginning their sowing season at the well-known Vueltabajo tobacco plantations, the country's largest producers of the leaves. Some 14,600 hectares are being devoted to this traditional crop, involving more than 10,000 producers, Enrique Cruz, director of the sector in the territory, told the press. The expert stated that the farm workers hope to conclude tobacco planting before the end of the year. Organized in stages, the crops will be expanded as of October 20, when a large number of farmers join in the work, he noted. Referring to new technologies applied in tobacco areas, Cruz said that once again, farmers will plant seedlings grown in nurseries rather than sowing seeds directly. As an additional advantage, more than 10,000 seedlings can be started with this technique in a 20-square-meter area, while traditional planting only allows for 3,000, Dr. Nelson Rodriguez, director of the Tobacco Experimental Station, told Prensa Latina. Enditem