Hurricanes Gustav and Ike destroyed up to 2 million pounds of Cuba's best tobacco, but reserves of the leaf should cover demand for the island's premium cigars for the next year, a tobacco executive said on Wednesday.

The storms, which struck within 10 days of each other, caused major damage to the tobacco industry infrastructure, which will require a significant investment to repair, said Manuel Garcia, vice president of cigar producer Habanos S.A.

"We think that for at least the next year we should not have great difficulties with the supply of cigars because luckily for us, we have a reserve of raw material," he said at a Havana business conference.

"Undoubtedly we are going to need an important financial injection for the tobacco (industry)," he said.

Habanos, a joint venture between the Cuban government and Altadis, a unit of British-based Imperial Tobacco, produces and sells some of the world's best-known cigars, including Monte Cristo, Cohiba, Romeo y Julieta and Partagas.

It reported sales of $402 million (218 million pounds) in 2007, up from $375 million in 2006.

The Cuban government said the two storms destroyed 3,414 barns where the harvested tobacco was being cured and damaged another 1,590 when they ripped through the western province of Pinar del Rio, where Cuba's top tobacco is grown.

Between 1.6 million and 2 million pounds of tobacco were estimated to have been destroyed.

Garcia said the cost of replacing or repairing buildings was being determined and that longer-term effects on tobacco supply would depend on the speed of rebuilding

The Cohiba Cigar was the most sold Cuban cigar in 2007, sources from the tobacco sector announced on Monday.


International corporation company Habanos S.A. vice president Manuel Garcia said at a press conference that the Montecristo brand used to be the most sold Havana cigar, but last year, the Cohibas were the world´s most sought-after.


Such change took place after the launching of the Maduro Number 5 brand, which had a warm welcomed in the international market.


Garcia highlighted the excellent sale progress achieved by Cuban Premium cigars at the opening of the 10th Habanos Festival of Habanos in Havana.


He stated that his company, a joint venture between Cuba´s Tabacuba and the Franco-Spanish Altadis firm, currently has subsidiaries in 150 countries.


On the other hand, Development Vice President Javier Terres and Marketing Research Director Juan Giron indicated that the new brands to be presented at the Festival are the Special Epicure, from Hoyo de Monterreyars, and Magnum 50, by H. Upmann.