PREFACE 



At its annual meeting heldJanuary 24-27, 1961, the U. S. Department of 

 Agriculture's Tobacco Research and Marketing Advisory Committee 

 recommended that a study be initiated to determine the effect on the 

 cigar industry and tobacco farmers if supplies of Cuban tobacco were 

 no longer available; also the effect of a change in duty rates. The Com- 

 mittee assigned a high priority to the project. A study group comprised 

 of representatives of several agencies in the Department has devoted 

 as much effort as feasible to this problem over the last several months. 



An understanding of the problems that would emerge if Cuba were no 

 longer a source of tobacco requires accurate information and statis- 

 tics on the cigar industry and its market, and on the production and 

 specific use of the many domestic and imported cigar tobaccos. Since 

 there has been a conspicuous lack of some of these important factual 

 materials, it has been necessary for the group to focus its attention 

 on the development of an adequate factual base, and a large portion 

 of this report sets forth the results. In addition, cigar consumption 

 and the total leaf requirements are projected some years into the future; 

 some probable effects if Cuban tobacco became unavailable are dis- 

 cussed. Certain problems touched on in the Committee's recommen- 

 dations, such as alternative foreign sources and their relation to rates 

 of duty, would require longer range research and additional staff. 



In preparing this report, the study group sought the advice of repre- 

 sentative growers, cigar manufacturers, importers, and dealers. The 

 information and opinions gained in this mannner have been highly useful 

 in bringing to light various aspects of the total problem that otherv. 

 might have been neglected. 



Finally, it needs to be emphasized that under present condll 

 question of our trade with Cuba involves consideration 

 the economic gain or loss to particular industries or groups. He 

 the material in this report should make a useful contribution in 

 of understanding the magnitude and nature Cuban tobacco 



