Colombia’s tobacco farmers are hoping to vastly increase crops to take advantage of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States, reported local media.
Colombia’s Radio Caracol reported that farmers are looking to increase the current 12,923 acres of tobacco crop to 17,297 in 2013, utilizing the benefits of an FTA signed with the U.S. in May 2012.
Tobacco is not a major export for Colombia however the head of Colombia’s National Federation of Producers of Tobacco claimed that it is “one of the crops that allows higher gross income per [acre].”
The country’s government chose to ignore a plea from the World Health Organization (WHO) to reduce tobacco crops recently, due largely to close ties with the tobacco cultivation sector, keeping a close eye on benefits of the FTA.
Colombia’s Ministry of Agriculture estimated that the agreement with the U.S. has the potential to open up the possibility of selling more than 4,000 tons of tobacco a year, yield an income of around $25 million.
