• Submitted by: manso
• Business and Economy
• 09 / 16 / 2011

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2011.09.15 - 14:08:31 / radiorebelde.icrt.cu / Seedtime in Pinar del Rio tobacco nurseriesPinar del Rio, Cuba. – Local tobacco growers of this territory, the highest producer of that leaf in Cuba, began to irrigate seedbeds. They want to plant early in order to attain the best possible yields. 

Before doing this, tobacco growers prepared the soil and ensured the inputs required to achieve survival and high quality of the seedlings intended to cover over 16 400 hectares of this crop in the 2011–2012 campaign. 

According to the schedule, they will start planting seedlings next October. The concerned authorities indicated that the process would unfold progressively, with a view to take advantage of the most suitable weather. 

In the current productive stage, Pinar del Rio tobacco growers will sow varieties obtained at the local Experimental Tobacco Station. Such varieties have traditionally shown resistance to diseases like blue mold and dark paw. 

Pinar del Rio tobacco growers seek to increase their yields per hectare. To that end, they are engaged in appropriate soil preparation, an action that includes the introduction of organic matter and nutrients to prevent degradation.  

In the present campaign, according to Ministry of Agriculture officials, priority will be attached to the generalization of the latest tobacco-growing technologies, including double-row planting, obtaining seedlings from high-tech seedbeds and other actions crucial to this crop, the main exportable item of this province. By: Alina Cabrera and Translated by: Pedro A. Fanego Sea.