- 20 - 



The following presents estimates of Cuban cigar leaf production by kinds 

 for some recent years: 



Filler 



Binder 



Wrapper 

 Sun -grown 

 Shade -grown 



Dark air-cured 



Total 



195^ 



110.7 



1956 



1958 



Million 



Million 



Million 



pounds 



pounds 



pounds 



U9.8 



U8.0 



58.6 



21.0 



17.3 



15-5 



12.2 



11.2 



8.8 



5.2 



3-9 



h-5 



7.0 



7-3 



h.3 



27.7 



25.5 



27.7 



102.0 



110.6 



Although practically all of the tobacco included as "dark -air-cured" is 

 classed as cigar filler, actually it is utilized in the domestic manufacture of 

 strong, dark cigarettes. The shade-grown tobacco is produced primarily for the 

 purpose of obtaining cigar leaf wrapper, but in normal practice only about 60 

 percent of the total shade -grown production is suitable for wrapper. The bottom 

 and top leaves of the plant, together with any imperfect or damaged leaves, are 

 used for binder and filler. 



Utilization 



On an equivalent weight basis, around half of the Cuban tobacco crop in 

 recent years has been exported in the form of unmanufactured leaf. The portion 

 of the crop retained domestically provides tobacco for the manufacture of cigars 

 and cigarettes. Production of cigars in 1957 amounted to 709 million, of which 

 635 million were consumed domestically and 7^ million were exported, mostly to 

 Spain, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, and Venezuela. 

 Production of cigarettes in the same year totaled close to 10 billion, virtually 

 all of which were consumed locally. 



Exports 



Tobacco normally is Cuba's second most valuable agricultural export, 

 ranking after sugar. Exports of unmanufactured tobacco from Cuba in the last 

 decade have trended upwards, rising from 27 million pounds in 1950 to 58 million 

 in 1959- Shipments averaged about 37 million pounds in the first 5 years of 

 the decade and about 53 million in the second five years. The United States 

 has long been the best market for Cuba's unmanufactured tobacco. In the 1955-59 

 period, the United States accounted for nearly 60 percent of Cuba's exports 6f 

 unmanufactured tobacco. Other major outlets were Spain and the Netherlands 

 (which accounted for 15 percent and 7 percent of total shipments, respectively), 

 and Germany, the Canary Islands and Uruguay. 



