By Marc Frank
SAN JUAN Y MARTINEZ, Cuba, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Highly unusualweather has damaged Cuba's tobacco crop, raising concerns amongfarmers and cigar-lovers that the island's supply of its famouscigars might suffer at a time of increased demand resulting fromdetente with the United States.
The weather phenomena El Niño led to Cuba's worst drought ina century in 2015, followed by heavy rain during the northernwinter, which is normally a dry period in Cuba.
While all Cuban crops have suffered, delicate tobacco plantsare especially vulnerable. Rains have wiped out production atsome plantations and severely damaged others. In response,tobacco farmers are replanting now, out of season, in hopes ofsalvaging the 2015-2016 harvest.
In western Pinar del Rio province, where most of Cuba'stobacco is grown, farmers are slogging through rain and mud toreplant destroyed crops. The best Cuban tobacco is cultivatedfrom late October into early January and then harvested intoMarch.
"This has been a disaster, not just for us, but everyone,"Juan Hernandez said as he steered his oxen-pulled plow throughrain and a field of mud where tobacco plants once stood. "We aretrying to see if we can still have a harvest."
Down the road, 60-year-old farmer Andres Chirino pickeddamaged leaves from plants and scowled.
"I have been growing tobacco since I was born and this isthe worst harvest in my experience," he said. "Look at thosestains and rot on the leaves. The quality is bad so we will earnmuch less."
The impact on cigar supply has yet to be determined, astobacco normally requires at least two or three years of curing,fermenting and ageing. Farmers and cigar experts say there havebeen several weak harvests in recent years, inconvenientlyoccurring just as tourism in Cuba is booming.
The cigar monopoly Habanos S.A., a joint venture between theCuban state and Imperial Tobacco Group PLC, has adequatestock to manage a dip in supply, said Carlos Ferran, anexecutive who was surveying western farms. Other Habanosofficials referred questions to holding company Tabacuba, whichdid not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
David Savona, editor of Cigar Aficionado magazine, saidHabanos reported three substandard harvests in a row before thisyear, but so far cigar quality has been maintained.
"Cuban cigars have been doing superbly in our ratings forthe past several years," Savona said. "They've admittedly hadsome weak harvests at a time when people are thinking more andmore about Cuban cigars. That can hurt you down the road."
MORE SOGGY WEATHER AHEAD
In the short-term, meteorologists forecast more soggyweather in February and March.
"The normal is a little rain every once in a while, but ithas been raining day after day with tremendous intensity," saidIvan Rodriguez, spokesman for the famed Alejandro RobainaTobacco Plantation.
An outlier, the Robaina plantation has been largelyunaffected by the weather due to its elevated ground andresistant seeds.
Pedro Jesus Alonso, western regional director of theAgriculture Ministry's export company CATEC, insisted otherscould also save the harvest.
"Everything depends on a little improvement in the weather,"he said. "If it does not rain too much the harvest can get backon track." (Reporting by Marc Frank; Additional reporting by DanielTrotta; Editing by Daniel Trotta and Frances Kerry)
