Tobacco yields may be reduced by 10 per cent in eastern North Carolina this season, with a dry period, followed by heavy rains, having negatively impacted the tobacco crop, the Wilson Times reported.

A congregation of growers, officials and business people in Wilson, North Carolina, heard from George Scott, vice president of tobacco leaf merchant Universal Leaf North America, that tobacco crops in the eastern part of the state had suffered because of the weather conditions. Scott said that crop conditions were “all over the board”, and that Universal believes the 2018 crop could be reduced in volume by 10 per cent, the newspaper reported.
Scott said the leaf merchant expects the Wilson country crop to weigh in around 387 million pounds (175.5 million kg), down from 428 million pounds in 2017.
“We had the ’18 crop starting at about 430 million. We believe with all of the unfortunate weather conditions we have had over the last three months, we are looking at about a 10 per cent reduction in the volume. That remains to be seen. Some areas have got way too much rain now, and that’s going to bring the crop somewhere around 387 million. That’s what we believe,” Scott was quoted as saying, adding that it was too early to comment on the general quality of the crop.
The tobacco market in Wilson is expected to open in the Week of 13 August, the Wilson Times said.