Haitian Tobacco

ZAP

Has this country ever produced tobacco for cigars.  I see they are close to the Dominican Republic.  Obviously, more important things to think about in Haiti right now but it got me thinking about why I haven't heard more about their role in Cigars in the past..

I'd love a history lesson if anyone knows...is the climate or soil a lot different than DR??

kingjk729

Haiti has no national export .... which is why that country is in such trouble right now ..... i also think there is such a huge population and not enough land for them to grow tobacco and i also think the have a fertile soil issue to boot.

fla-gypsy

It seems that every other nation in the Caribbean produces magnificent tobacco and coffee, it is hard to imagine that the same would not be true for the ground in Haiti.

nightmaremike31

I was just reading about this online wondering the same thing. I found out quite a bit too.

The present situation...

PortageOnline.Com:

PortageOnline.Com

Agriculture will be key in Haiti's recovery process according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization.

FAO chief of emergency operations in Haiti Christina Amaral explains farming is a significant part of the Haitian economy.

It accounts for 26 percent of haiti's economic output.

More than half of the people in Haiti live in rural areas and around 85 percent of those in rural parts of the country are considered farmers.

Amaral says reconstruction of the country's agricultural assets will be a high priority throughout the recovery process.

She adds it will be crucial to keep Haiti's agriculture production going as many people will need food in the coming months.

And what is now "past" or "history" (no pun intended) agriculture and economy...

state.gov:

state.gov

Note: There are serious problems with national accounts in Haiti, including incomplete coverage and the questionable accuracy of raw data.

Agriculture (27% of GDP): Products--coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, cacao, sorghum, pulses, other fruits and vegetables

ECONOMY Haiti remains the least-developed country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the poorest in the world. Comparative social and economic indicators show Haiti falling behind other low-income developing countries (particularly in the hemisphere) since the 1980s. Haiti now ranks 146th of 177 countries in the UN's Human Development Index. Haiti's economic stagnation is the result of earlier inappropriate economic policies, political instability, a shortage of good arable land, environmental deterioration, continued reliance on traditional technologies, under-capitalization and lack of public investment in human resources, migration of large portions of the skilled population, a weak national savings rate, and the lack of a functioning judicial system.

It's a good read. Click it.

nightmaremike31

Sorry, I couldn't find anything on tobacco, but they seem to farm many other resources, or used to at least.

bacon.jay

The Haitian govt ought to broker a deal with one of the tobacco farming families in the Caribbean and try to start some tobacco plantations there somewhere. Maybe the Olivas or Placencias. I'm pretty sure they both have plantations in DR.

Hays

Or hell, maybe I'll have to start my own tobacco plantation in Haiti... Man, I don't know if I could handle that.. having to travel to Haiti all the time? Shucks... ;-)

(this post is in no way meant to slight the situation in Haiti right now)