General Cigar Expects Large Dominican Crop
General Cigar Co., one of the world's leading producers of premium cigars, has significantly expanded its tobacco operations in the Dominican Republic, and is expecting a large harvest this year despite the storms that hit the country earlier in the growing season.
"We were more fortunate than some other manufacturers when it comes to our 2007—2008 crop," said Angel Daniel Núñez, president and chief operating officer of General Cigar, in an email to Cigar Insider. "Time was on our side in the case of Tropical Storm Noel, which hit in October. While we and many other growers had to replant a relatively small percentage of our farms, there was still plenty of time left in the growing season to make up for the loss. There was no effect on production for us and it is my understanding that the same holds true for the lion's share of Dominican tobacco growers…. Similarly, Tropical Storm Olga, while devastating for the people of the Dominican Republic, did not have a major adverse e ffect on our tobacco crop. We are pleased with the quantity and quality of the 2007—2008 crop and look forward to maintaining last year's level of production."
For more on this story, see the February 5 issue of Cigar Insider.
