NewsWhore
03-24-2009, 05:10 PM
The Dominican Republic Tobacco Institute has a stand at the Cattle Farmers' Fair 2009, showing off the products of more than 50 cigar factories. The stand features both machine-made and hand-rolled cigars. Consumers can see all the leaves that go into the making of cigars and a cigar roller shows how cigars are made. The companies that are taking part in the activity at the Ciudad Ganadera are doing so in order to maintain their presence in the market where sales were off by 4% in 2008 compared to 2007.
Institute director Adalberto Rosa said that Dominican cigar exports grew to 720 million units in 2008, a 12% increase over 2007. But the credit crisis has affected smokers with higher purchasing power, and the sale of hand-made cigars is down while the sale of cigarettes and machine-made cigars increased. While a machine-made cigar sells for between US$0.80 and US$2, a hand-made premium cigar sells for US$15.
Rosa said that Dominican cigar makers do not fear the entry of Cuba into the United States market, since they already have their merchandizing and logistics in place and they can compete there and in other areas such as Russia and China.
For more on upcoming events, see http://www.dr1.com/calendar
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#10)
Institute director Adalberto Rosa said that Dominican cigar exports grew to 720 million units in 2008, a 12% increase over 2007. But the credit crisis has affected smokers with higher purchasing power, and the sale of hand-made cigars is down while the sale of cigarettes and machine-made cigars increased. While a machine-made cigar sells for between US$0.80 and US$2, a hand-made premium cigar sells for US$15.
Rosa said that Dominican cigar makers do not fear the entry of Cuba into the United States market, since they already have their merchandizing and logistics in place and they can compete there and in other areas such as Russia and China.
For more on upcoming events, see http://www.dr1.com/calendar
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#10)