Agricultural organizations, regional authorities and business agents in the tobacco sector met this Wednesday in Cáceres to celebrate the Second Annual Plenary of the Tobacco Table, where they debated the economic and social impact of this crop and the challenges facing the sector, such as future regulation that could put more than 2,100 jobs at risk in Extremadura, mainly in the north of the province of Cáceres.
During the meeting, which took place at the Gran Hotel Don Manuel, a round table moderated by Águeda García-Agulló, director of the Tobacco Table, was held, with the participation of Ángel García Blanco, president of Asaja Extremadura; Ángel Pacheco, president of Agro-Food Cooperatives of Extremadura and Ignacio Huertas, general secretary of the Union of Small Farmers and Peasants of Extremadura.
According to Cetarsa data, In the last campaign, the tobacco sector reached a production of 21 million kilos, a fact that marks the return to normality after the difficulties faced in 2023, when adverse weather conditions significantly damaged crops.
This increase of 65% compared to the previous year consolidates Extremadura as the main tobacco producing region in Spainwith 98% of the national crop, and one of the most relevant in Europe, contributing close to 20% of the community’s tobacco leaf production. Tobacco cultivation not only represents an economic engine in the region, but also a key tool for social cohesion in the tobacco-growing regions of northern Cáceres.
More than 2,100 direct full-time jobs depend on this activity, which guarantees the livelihood of 3,000 families. Furthermore, the sector plays a crucial role in the fight against rural depopulationsince it attracts new generations: one in four growers is under 40 years old and more than half are no older than 50, which represents a positive contrast to the aging that affects other agricultural activities.
Likewise, the commitment to sustainability It has been another of the highlights of the event. Extremaduran farmers implement innovative and responsible practices such as crop rotation, the use of biomass for curing leaves and the optimization of water consumption in irrigation.
These initiatives not only improve productive efficiency, but also position the sector as a reference model in the sustainable agriculture at European level. Concern about the consequences of plain packaging During the event, the regulatory challenges facing the tobacco sector were also addressed, especially highlighting the possible implementation of plain packaging in Spain.
According to a report by the consulting firm AFI, this measure could reduce the sector’s contribution to Extremadura’s GDP by 23.1%, which translates into a annual economic loss of 24 million euros. Furthermore, it has been warned of the risk for 450 direct jobs in the region, as well as the negative impact on auxiliary companies and the local economic fabric, particularly in rural areas, where tobacco is a key driver of development.
The tobacco sector in Extremadura currently generates more than 100 million euros of annual economic activity and it has a positive impact on the municipalities where it is grown, which register a family income 1,400 euros higher and an unemployment rate 5.7 percentage points lower compared to localities without tobacco activity, which shows its role in regional cohesion and progress.
Furthermore, it has been highlighted that previous experiences in other countries have shown that plain packaging is ineffectivepromoting illicit trade and reducing the competitiveness of the sector. Given this situation, the speakers urged national institutions to consider the economic and social impact of this regulation in regions such as Extremadura.
Closed by Morales and Guardiola
The event was closed by the president of the Provincial Council of Cáceres, Miguel Ángel Morales and the president of the Government of Extremadura, María Guardiola, who highlighted that “the tobacco sector is a key economic pillar in the regiongenerating thousands of jobs from the rural world to the rest of the country. “We reaffirm our absolute support for an industry that supports so many families and is essential for Extremadura.”
“In regions like ours, where depopulation or historical grievances in terms of industry have taken their toll, your presence is even more important and you are, even if possible, much more essential. Therefore, absolute support from the Board of Extremadura”, the president has reaffirmed.
Guardiola has highlighted that, of the 6,115 hectares for tobacco cultivation in Spain, 6,075 are in Extremadura. “This translates into 855 producersfamilies that have a product of the highest quality,” she stated. Furthermore, the regional president has assured that “against prejudices, which there are, against ignorance, which there is, we are certainly going to be at your side because your work is what allows our region to be one of the largest producers in Europe”.
The head of the Extremaduran Executive has pointed out that 98% of the national tobacco cultivation is carried out in Extremadura, something that “is not just a percentage, these are families, farmers and workers.” In this sense, he stated that “we are not going to allow such an important economic resource to be lost, which has so many jobs behind it.”
Finally, María Guardiola recalled that the Extremadura Regional Government has shown this support “not only with words”, but with the appeal presented to the Government of Spain so that the exceptional use of 1,3 dichloropropene is allowed or “leading frontal opposition” to plain packaging expressed in the Interterritorial Health Council, “a tremendous mistake” that has ended up favoring the illicit trade in tobacco, as has been proven in other countries.
“Let it be very clear that the Extremaduran Government is going to be on the side of the sector because we are very aware of its importance,” Guardiola concluded.
Along the same lines, the president of the Cáceres Provincial Council, Miguel Ángel Morales, has expressed the need to support and investigate around a crop that “is key” due to the “enormous socioeconomic weight for the province of Cáceres and, therefore, for the region.”
Morales has recalled that This is the least aged sector of the entire agricultural sector.with an average age of 53.9 years, compared to 60.56 for the rest of the activities, in addition to having a high female employment rate, since in the first transformation phase 54% of the workforce are women, and also contributes to establishing population in the territory.
“That is, we are talking about a sector that has a marked strategic nature in the economy of the areaso we have to continue supporting the sector, the farmers, the municipalities, and this is also done with the help of research,” he highlighted.
In this sense, he recalled that the Cáceres council works together with the University of Extremadura (UEx) and Cetarsa in the creation of a chair of investigation around tobacco from the socioeconomic and health aspects, to study the possibility of promoting a type of heated tobacco without combustion, after the analysis and investigation of the health effects and the social and economic effects in rural areas.
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