Authorities expect delivery of around 19,000 tons of tobacco this year in what is being called the best harvest in a decade after a growing season marked by optimal weather, Xinhua reported.

However the Chinese news agency also said volume in the main growing province Pinar del Rio at 13,000 tons was about 4,000 tons below expectations. Tobacco is a major export earner for the island, netting around USD 450 million (EUR 395 million) a year. Vice President Jose Ramon Machado, who visited production centres in the province, called on growers to increase volume next year, Xinhua said.
About 19,000 hectares in the Vuelta Abajo region of Pinar del Rio reportedly will be used to grow five tobacco varieties in the 2017-2018 season that are said to be better resistant to disease and capable of providing a higher yield.