Reynaldo Torres Arévalo is confident in the recovery of tobacco production in this eastern Cuban province, and his confidence is backed by the experience of around 25 years linked to this economic activity as, the leader in financial contributions to the Agricultural System.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- Of peasant origin, Reynaldo has agricultural work in his blood and his heart. During five years, he has worked as a supervisor, head of Plant Health, advisor to the cultivation of covered tobacco, and in other management positions in the Tobacco Collection, Processing, and Twisting Company.

He now directs the destinies of the basic business unit (UEB in Spanish) Las Tunas, attached to the entity and responsible for contracting the tobacco grown by various productive forms in Las Tunas, Majibacoa, and Jobabo.

He recalls that the UEB was constituted several years ago. In their beginnings, they collected up to 12 tons of the aromatic leaf harvested by some 16 producers, but ‘the figure was increasing until we managed to deliver around 150-170 tons of high-quality tobacco"

He regretfully details how in the 2014-2015 period ‘climatic events wiped out almost all the tobacco houses and an important part of the tobacco infrastructure declined, but it has been recovering’.

Due to his expertise, Reynaldo considers the measures approved by the country's leadership for the recovery of the tobacco program as a cornerstone that will make this important production sustainable; and, he exalts the one related to the assurance of the technological package that includes chemical inputs, fertilizers and oil, despite the existing deficits in the nation.

Other facilities are being considered, such as selling tractors and light vehicles to those who obtain the best results in the campaigns.

So far they have 78 tobacco producers to begin the long-awaited take-off; and, "we think that there will be many reincorporations because some of those who have retired have already approached the entity looking for alternatives to set up the tobacco houses again,’ he says enthusiastically.

He says that to support the first steps on the road to total recovery, "we have some resources such as turbines, hoses, and others are arriving, such as backpacks, which had been absent from the means of work for several years."

Now, why is the country so interested in tobacco production? I asked, and Reynaldo argued that tobacco is among the main sources of foreign exchange for the Cuban Agricultural System; for that reason, it is fundamental as an exportable item.

In the case of our province, two factories contribute to this objective, one in Puerto Padre and the other in Jobabo, which is being started for this purpose and with this destination,’ he explains.

Although Reynaldo no longer smokes, he is a staunch defender of tobacco production. For him, working in the sector is like a school, because it is discipline, and the more you “get into” the program, the more it gets into your blood, it is like nicotine. Belonging to this family is a source of pride because tobacco is tradition, culture, and identity, that's why I believe being a Cuban and belonging to the Tabacuba group generates a lot of satisfaction.