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IVAN NOT SO TERRIBLE TO CUBA |
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 Pinar del Rio drenched, but survives
Los Angeles, September 16 – Although predictions of Armageddon proved false, Hurricane Ivan packed a considerable wallop as it just touched the western tip of Cuba on Tuesday (September 14), but did not cripple the area’s tobacco industry.
Home to the famed Vuelta Abajo growing region, the Pinar del Rio district suffered heavy rains and flooding, high winds in excess of 150 miles per hour and the loss of electrical power. But the tobacco crop was spared . . . because it hadn’t been planted yet.
The Associated Press reported, in an interview with legendary grower Alejandro Robaina, that the primary planting season is scheduled to start the third week in October with harvests concluding in January. Whether the flooding will cause late planting is, as yet, unknown.
Also at risk were the curing barns where tobacco from previous harvests was being stored. According to a story filed by the Reuters news agency, damage to the curing barns was modest, with Robaina’s curing houses incurring little damage. Other farmers, such as Carlos Ortega, were not so lucky: “I saw a white wall of wind-driven water pass over the tobacco field and minutes later destroy the curing barn,” he told Reuters.
The relatively light damage to the curing houses reported so far is in contrast to the massacre of curing barns in October 2002, when twin hurricanes Isidore and Lili caused the destruction of approximately 10,000 of the area’s 14,500 curing facilities. Most of these had been rebuilt in some fashion prior to this year’s storms.
The Pinar del Rio area is reported to have produced 22,000 tons of leaf during the last harvest and news agencies noted that extensive efforts were made to protect it during both hurricanes Charley and Ivan. Tobacco in the form of leaf, cigarettes and cigars is Cuba’s third-largest export after nickel and sugar, bringing in more than $200 million U.S. annually.
Hastert optimistic on conference outcome
Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-Illinois), Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, was optimistic about the outcome of the House-Senate conference committee meetings on legislation concerning the tobacco buyout and possible regulation of tobacco by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
During a round of fund-raising appearances in tobacco-rich North Carolina on Tuesday, Hastert told reporter David Rice of the Winston-Salem Journal, “We haven’t gone to conference on that bill yet. But I’m for sure that we’re going to get that bill done this Congress.
“The Senate, I think, will end up agreeing with us.”
Asked about the possibilities for FDA involvement in tobacco, Hastert was cautious: “That’s something the Senate wants to include. It wasn’t in our legislation. I think we’ll be better off without it. But we’ll have to wait to see what happens.”
Congressional observers note that the leadership would like to conclude the current session of Congress in mid-October, giving members time to campaign in their home districts ahead of the elections on November 2.
Strictly rumors:
You may well see some subtle changes in the branding of the popular La Flor Dominicana line produced by Litto Gomez in the Dominican Republic. With cigar sales growing again and some optimism that the trade embargo with Cuba might be eased in coming years, Gomez is reportedly concerned that opportunities might be improved by having brands which do not include name references to the Dominican Republic and which might incorporate Cuban leaf at some point in the future. Comment: start a new brand under the name “La Flor de Lorenzo” after the family name of his wife, Ines. Alternative: there was an old Cuban brand named “Gomez y Hermano” for which there is no currently listed trademark at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. In the meantime, Gomez filed registrations for new trade marks “L. Gomez” and “Litto Gomez” on February 20 of this year . . .
General Cigar has also been busy at the trademark office this year with filings for brand names, including an interesting filing on May 4 of this year for a special form of the “Bolivar” trademark. This version creates a look identical to General’s stylized typeface for its Dominican-made Cohiba, including the bold, sans-serif font and a red dot filling the “o” of Bolivar. Could be an insurance policy against an eventual loss of the trade name “Cohiba” on appeal . . . are you ready for “red-dot” Bolivar and Bolivar Extra Vigoroso?
~ Rich Perelman
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