Havana, Dec 4 (EFE) - Local media reported today that Cuba expects to produce approximately 32,000 tons of tobacco leaves in the 2017-2018 season, with 65% of this production coming from the Pinar del Río region, the country's main tobacco-producing area. In preparation for the upcoming harvest, Pinar del Río will dedicate 18,704 hectares of land to grow 13 varieties of tobacco, aiming to produce 20,623 tons of this fragrant leaf, a key component in the making of habano cigars, one of Cuba's main export products. The Habana 92 variety will cover 54% of the tobacco-growing area in the province, alongside the Corojo 2006 and 2012 varieties, known for their strong resistance to diseases such as blue mold, black shank, and drought, explained Virginio Morales, a specialist from the Tabacuba business group. The planting efforts will also include varieties meant for wrapper production, such as Tapado, as well as Sun Grown, Burley, Virginia, and Vega Fina. He indicated that work is currently underway to prepare the soil and nurseries to ensure coverage for the entire planned planting area, as reported by the state news agency Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN). The expert mentioned that the planting of the aromatic leaf in the region will continue until January 20, due to a delay of nearly a month caused by rain. In the 2016-2017 harvest, the Vueltabajo region (Pinar del Río), renowned for producing the world’s best tobacco, managed to collect about 19,000 tons, the best result in the past eleven years, according to official assessments. Tobacco ranks fourth in terms of revenue contributions to Cuba's gross domestic product, generating around 445 million dollars in 2016 from sales by the joint Cuban-Spanish company Habanos. This industry employs about 200,000 workers on the island, with numbers increasing to 250,000 during the peak of the harvest season.
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