US leaf production set to fall by 18 percent

Leaf tobacco production in the US this year is forecast to reach 717 million pounds, down by 18 percent on last year’s production, according to United States Department of Agriculture figures published by Christopher Bickers in his Tobacco Farmer Newsletter.

Flue-cured production is estimated to be down by 17 percent to 473 million pounds and Burley production is expected to be down by 26 percent to 157 million pounds.

Estimates of other-types production are: fire-cured, down by four percent to 56.6 million pounds; dark air-cured, down by five percent to 16.6 million pounds; cigar types, unchanged at nine million pounds; and Southern Maryland, down six percent to 4.4 million pounds.

The full story can be accessed by contacting Bickers at chrisbickers@gmail.com.