Farmers demand a share of the “fresh dollars that go into the State coffers”
14ymedio, Havana, October 18, 2025 — The month of October is an ordeal for the tobacco farmers (vergueros) of Pinar del Río. The heavy rains of recent weeks have complicated the early stages of the tobacco campaign, a battle now taking place in the seedbeds. The lack of inputs and the authorities’ refusal to pay producers in dollars also complicate the picture.
From the municipality of San Luis, Orestes predicts that they will have a diminished harvest when the campaign ends. ” We are experiencing one of the worst moments in the sector in terms of income, profitability and the indebtedness of farmers. Anyone here who is not committed on one side is committed on the other,” the farmer tells 14ymedio.
In addition to the rainfall that has flooded plots and compromised the development of seeds, Orestes points out the lack of foreign exchange as among the greatest difficulties he is experiencing on his farm. The land has been owned by his family for almost a century, and the planting of tobacco had been the main agricultural activity until reality forced them “to plant more food in order to survive.”
“We are still paid for part of the tobacco we deliver in MLC (freely convertible currency), and, of course, right now that currency is in the pits,” he says. This week the virtual currency is traded at 200 pesos, less than half the dollar exchange rate, which has now reached 468 pesos. Every day that passes means less for the MLC.”
The vegueros‘ constant demands that they be paid in dollars seem to have fallen on deaf ears, and the disappointment of the farmers is affecting their decision to use their tobacco plantations to sow other products that they can market more freely.
In 2024 the Spanish-Cuban company Habanos S.A managed to raise 827 million dollars
The hardships of the farmers contrasts with official figures, which point to tobacco as one of the few businesses that thrive on the Island despite the crisis, and the Regime’s propaganda claims to treat the sector with care. In 2024, the Spanish-Cuban company Habanos S.A managed to raise $827 million, $106 million more than a year earlier, which represented an increase of 14.7% in revenues shared by the two partners. The achievement was attributed to the more than 4,700 cigar sales points it has worldwide, the main ones in China, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and Germany.
“One thing is the international market and another is Cuba,” says Orestes. “Right now they are giving a stimulus in national currency and a small rebate to producers of shade-grown tobacco that is planted early.” In this technique, the leaves are crimped onto a string after being harvested and hung upside down on posts covered with translucent fabric so that they dry slowly in the sun. “But the Cuban peso is not encouraging.”
In San Juan y Martínez, another of the main tobacco growing centers of the province and part of the so-called Pinareño tobacco massif, the opinion is shared by Juan José and his family. “There is very little enthusiasm, because this stimulus that is being given — at most 30% above the gross value of sales from the producer to the State — is very little compared to the expenses we have to just begin planting.”
“There is a strike on the part of many farmers, who without solvency are unable to start the campaign and move to food crops,” he says. He sees a more profitable option in the cultivation of yucca, malanga, tomatoes and beans. The percentage of land devoted to these products is increasing on his farm, but this October, the penalization for those who choose to reduce the amount of land used for tobacco threatens to be harder.
“We have been told that the inspectors are going to check everything and fine those who are planting something else”
“The tobacco company intends to solve everything with threats of repressive actions against those who use the terrain destined for tobacco for something else,” warns the veguero. The message sent by the authorities in the sector is clear: “We have been told that the inspectors will check everything and impose fines on those who are planting something else. Even those with land in usufruct can lose it if they don’t comply with what is established.”
Another of the threats that have been received by tobacco companies in Pinar del Río is the cancelation of credits already approved if they insist on devoting part of their plots to other crops. “The truth is that the approval of credits goes very slowly, and the amounts are insufficient. On average, under the calculations that are made, they could cover more than 40% of a campaign’s expenses, but due to irregularities in the balance sheet and current inflation, they end up covering only 25% of the costs.”
Access to inputs also hampers the campaign. Recently, Marino Murillo Jorge, president of Tabacuba, opened a supply store in Las Ovas, in the municipality of Pinar del Río, with hardware, masonry and electrical components for sale in MLC. The authorities boast that the tools have a price “25-30% cheaper than the current domestic market,” but for Juan José the discount is insufficient.
“The Las Ovas store has many problems of access and connectivity to make payments in MLC”
“For this measure to be favorable, it must never be less than 70 per cent,” he states. The rebate should also include the cost of repairing the tobacco curing sheds.” The Las Ovas store has many problems of access to and connectivity to make payments in MLC,” explains the veguero, who has not seen the promise that this type of trade would also extend to San Luis and San Juan y Martínez.
“Here more than 50% of the producers intend to expand the planting of food and get rid of the tobacco, because they lack the fight to continue in the field,” he says. “Many are now planting the tobacco areas with food under the justification that they will join the late planting of tobacco, after January, but everyone knows that if we don’t get the food we need for the family first it is impossible to face the tobacco campaign.”
For Juan José, everything could change in the coming weeks if the sector authorities increase the incentives or decide to cross the red line they have maintained in relation to the payment in currencies. “This is the flagship of export, the item that brings fresh dollars to the State coffers, and we also want some of that money in a real currency.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
____________
COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.