The International Tobacco Growers Association's (ITGA) meeting was held in the Dominican Republic and gathered representatives from tobacco growing countries across four continents, according to a recent press release.

The Dominican Republic Minister of Agriculture, Osmar Benitez, opened the session, highlighting the cultural importance of tobacco for the Dominican Republic and its links to the indigenous Tainos people. Benitez also discussed the importance of the tobacco growing industry worldwide, as it currently employs more than a hundred thousand people and generates more than USD 8 million per year.
According to the report, the focus of the meeting was predominantly on the difficulties currently facing tobacco farmers, particularly due to stricter legislation and new generation products entering the market. Shane MacGuill, the director of tobacco market research for Euromonitor, also discussed the current growth of the cannabis market and the diversified products associated with this.
The meeting concluded on 5 November, when delegates from all member countries were invited to share their views on the current trends and future prospects for the tobacco growing industry. A new Board was also elected, with Abiel Maseche Kalima Banda, president of the Malawi tobacco growers association (TAMA Farmers’ Trust) becoming the new President of ITGA, José Aranda, from COPROTAB, Salta, Argentina, becoming the new vice-president and Benício Werner the new treasurer.