Tobacco transplanting into the fields began earlier this year and is already being finalized in most properties of southern Brazil, reports Kohltrade.

By transplanting earlier, tobacco growers hope to get more quality leaves and, at the same time, avoid excessive summer heat at harvest time. Traditionally, tobacco planting used to take place in August, however, in recent years, producers have adopted the strategy of planting ahead of time and so, harvesting earlier, to overcome the lack of rain that has been constant in recent seasons, as well as the excessive heat, according to a Kohltrade press release. This new approach means farmers are able to finish their harvest at the end of the year and avoid having to go out in the fields during very strong sunlight and intense heat.
According to the Department of Mutuality of the Brazilian Tobacco Growers Association (Afubra), a strong tendency of early planting of tobacco throughout the region has been observed. According to Afubra, this has become more evident in recent years, when there has been a lack of rain in the summer and, as a result, the crops have been greatly harmed. However, early planting can come with some risks which includes cold weather. Some tobacco varieties are typical winter types and are more resistant to low temperatures but there remains a risk of the tobacco dying after a frost, reports Kohltrade.