The Impact of Climate Change on Cuban Cigar Production

The issue of climate change is now at the heart of every concern. The latest report from the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), dated February 28, 2022, indeed warns us of the serious and growing danger posed by climate change. Rising temperatures are not only a major risk to biodiversity and the survival of species, but they also represent a direct threat to our well-being and the future of humanity.

Today, no one can ignore the resurgence of climate disasters affecting the entire globe. Wildfires, floods, droughts, and hurricanes are now part of our daily lives and are causing major changes in many areas. In Cuba, these disruptions are becoming increasingly frequent and are directly affecting tobacco crops. While the island is currently managing to limit the damage, one can legitimately wonder what the future of the habanos industry will look like in the years ahead.

Why does climate change pose a threat to the future of the habanos industry?

At the heart of cigar production is a plant: tobacco. Like all plants, tobacco needs specific climatic conditions to develop properly. These same climatic conditions also give tobacco leaves their distinctive taste, aromas, and texture. This natural balance is therefore fundamental to ensuring quality harvests and producing the famous havanas we love so much.

Tobacco is a tropical plant. Made up mainly of water, it needs humus-rich soil (rich in humus), properly drained, cool, and well-aerated. This plant also needs sunshine during the day, sparse rainfall, a temperature of around 25°C, and an average relative humidity of 78%. In the event of excessive heat or overly abundant rainfall, tobacco plants can wilt or rot. It is therefore essential to maintain this climatic balance in order to ensure the development of quality tobacco leaves.

The visible consequences of global warming on tobacco cultivation in Cuba

For several years now, weather conditions have directly threatened tobacco crops all around the world. And the production of tobacco leaves used to make premium cigars has not been spared. In Cuba, the epicenter of high-quality tobacco cultivation, harvests have in fact fallen considerably in recent years because of repeated droughts and the many storms that have hit the island. According to Tabacuba, the harvest volume has thus dropped from 32,000 tons in 2017 to 22,000 tons in 2021.

When weather conditions are favorable, tobacco cultivation begins in June with soil preparation and ends in March with the harvesting of the leaves. The winter months therefore correspond to the dry season, which is ideal for the plants’ growth. However, once again this year, the torrential rains that have lashed Cuban fields have altered the soil structure, forcing growers to postpone planting by several weeks. Some growers also had to replant their seedlings several times in a row, while others saw their harvest rot or develop too quickly.

This unprecedented situation is causing not only difficulties related to growing tobacco plants but also poses a threat to the quality of the harvested leaves. According to Robaina, the grandson of the famous Cuban tobacco producer, harvests have in fact never been so poor, and these climate changes directly affect the color, aromas, texture, and size of the leaves.

If Cuba is bearing the full brunt of climate change, the island is unfortunately not an isolated case. Many tobacco-producing countries have in fact had to face the same weather difficulties as Cuban growers, including the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica.

What future for tobacco crops?

In addition to difficult weather conditions, Cuba also had to contend with a major economic crisis, with the economy shrinking by 11% in 2020. This situation led the Cuban government to announce a 15% reduction in the tobacco-growing area of the Pinar Del Rio region (a region that accounts for around 70% of the country’s tobacco production on its own), in favor of food crops. Growers have reached the same conclusion, and many of them are beginning to diversify their crops or even abandon tobacco production in favor of less demanding crops such as corn or black beans. Some growers are therefore beginning to fear that coffee, sugar, and legume crops could jeopardize the future of the island’s third export product. Here again, the island is not an exception, but rather reflects a situation found in many Central American countries.

But if Cuba, against its will, embodies the consequences of global warming on tobacco production, it is also setting an example when it comes to climate action. In 1976, the island was in fact one of the first countries in the world to include environmental issues in its Constitution. In 2017, the Cuban government also adopted the “Tarea Vida” plan (“Life Task”), which aims to precisely identify the effects of climate change on the island and to implement concrete solutions to limit its impact.

The country has thus begun its transition toward renewable energy sources and has started training growers in other methods of production. Tobacco producers have in fact begun designing new curing houses with metal roofs instead of wooden ones in order to improve tobacco curing. They have also introduced concrete floors in their barns to gain better control over ambient humidity. In the fields, more efficient irrigation and drainage systems have also been installed to more effectively combat the uncertainties of the climate.

David Savona, a journalist for Cigar Aficionado, wrote as early as 2019 that weather would play a decisive role in the quality and quantity of Cuban cigars in the future. One can imagine that the consequences of climate change on tobacco production will not leave unscathed an industry already weakened by the health crisis.