Damage to the tobacco crop in North Carolina and Virginia from hurricane Irene may not be tallied for days or weeks, but anecdotal evidence indicates the hit will be a big one.

A North Carolina state regional agronomist quoted in the Charlotte Observer, Dianne Farmer, said most of the eastern counties she is responsible for would suffer near total loss of tobacco still in the field. The Associated Press reported a hot summer delayed growth, and as a result many North Carolina tobacco farmers had not yet harvested three-quarters of the tobacco crop.
In neighbouring Virginia, the tobacco crop also was badly damaged, according to the AP.
Both news organisations cited federal and state officials saying it will be days or weeks before the extent of the damage is known.
According to the Wilson Times, farmers in Wilson County harvested most lower-stalk tobacco prior to the storm’s arrival on 27 Aug., but not the more valuable upper leaves. In addition to direct losses, the eventual damage will depend on how much tobacco can be harvested and how long mature tobacco can remain in the fields, the newspaper reported. “We’ll know a lot more 10 days from now,” Wilson County Agricultural Extension agent Norman Harrell told the newspaper.
Almost all tobacco grown in North Carolina is flue-cured. Prior to the hurricane, state agriculture officials in August estimated this year’s output at nearly 370 million pounds, a gain of 6 per cent from 2010.
Reynolds American said it will donate USD 250,000 (EUR173,000) to the North Carolina hurricane relief effort. (pi)