Tobacco, the threatened leaf that sustains rural Spain: "There is no alternative crop"

Spain is the second-largest tobacco producer in Europe, and 98% of the national production comes from Extremadura. The mayor of Losar de la Vera: "Here, we do not cultivate smokers; we cultivate tobacco leaves."

The tobacco leaf is a silent engine supporting entire rural districts in Spain, specifically in Extremadura, and its future is now at stake in the offices of Madrid and Brussels amid the threat of new restrictions. Those who live from its cultivation and processing explain it plainly: "Here we do not cultivate smokers." They admit that cigarettes must come to an end, but defend that smoke-free alternatives, such as heated tobacco devices, which are 95% less harmful than traditional cigarettes and increasingly popular, should not be penalized. They are clear: "There is no alternative crop to tobacco." And if it is not produced in Spain, it will be made elsewhere, at a very high cost: the disappearance of entire towns. Spain is the second-largest tobacco producer in Europe. Of Spanish cultivation, 98% comes from Extremadura, accounting for 19% of the European Union, focused on La Vera, Campo Arañuelo, and Valle del Tiétar. Extremadura exports 74% of its production, more than 70 ...