The Dominican Republic is the main exporter of fine cigars worldwide, with a business volume that in 2017 contributed 846 million dollars to the national economy, the Ministry of Agriculture reported today in a statement.
The Minister of Agriculture, Osmar Benítez, stressed that “currently some 6,000 million units of cigars are exported, of which 20% are” premium “or artisanal, while the remaining 80% correspond to machine manufacturing. .
50% of the country’s agricultural exports correspond to tobacco and the main destinations are the United States, the European Union, Nicaragua and eastern countries such as China, Benítez said.
He added that the Government will provide the National Tobacco Institute (Intabaco) with all the support it needs to improve crop production at the national level and boost the industry, so that this translates into direct support for farmers.
“We are going to support the productive activities, the harvest, post-harvest, elaboration, commercialization, and in everything we can to promote the Dominican tobacco industry,” said Benítez when he made a visit to the Intabaco facilities, where he met with members of his Executive Council.
Currently, the productive activity of the tobacco industry benefits more than 100,000 people directly and more than 350,000 related activities, with 93 companies dedicated to the production, industrialization and export of the product, of which 73 are from free zones and the rest of private capital.
The main plantations are in Santiago (north), which accounts for more than 50% of the total production.