OVER FIVE DECADES OF EXCELLENCE

Asymbol of our insular identity, Cuban tobacco is known worldwide as a reference for quality and prestige, an absolute ambassador of traditions with longstanding history under its belt. Behind such prestige earned by Cuba´s tobacco industry and the mysticism embracing most of its brands and varieties, there is an iconic center with outstanding results: the Tobacco Research Institute, created more than five decades ago.

The only one of its kind in Cuba, its goals are to provide the scientific-technical basis for the development of Cuba's tobacco network and help address its challenges and demands through R+D+I Projects, Scientifically based services and the productions specialized in Original, Basic, Certified and Hybrid seeds.

Among its goals, the Institute includes: increasing the impact of science and technological innovation in the efficient and sustained performance of the tobacco network, promoting the rational utilization of the soil, efficient utilization of Cleaner Production Policies by reducing pesticides residues, guaranteeing the sustainability of the Dark Air-cured, Virginia and Burley tobacco production, building the necessary capacities to meet the consumers' demands and the regulatory requirements of the international market, certifying the quality management system, and giving credit to test methods in laboratories to ensure exports.

Belonging to TABACUBA Business Group since 2000, the Institute follows some research lines with a notable impact in Cuba's tobacco industry: Genetic Resources, Plant breeding and pathology, Nutrition, physiology and agricultural practices, Curing, pre-processing and storage; as well as the Industrial process of cigars and cigarettes.

The main outcomes achieved by the research center vouch for its importance as a facility with a high scientific-technical level with 17 commercial varieties of tobacco registered in the National Register of Commercial Varieties of Cuba's Ministry of Agriculture (MINAG) resistant to major pests and diseases; more than one hundred of results with certain relevance for science, technological innovation, applicability and/or economy achieved in the period 2013-2018, and the cooperation in the development of 51 new Habanos products in close collaboration with top executives of Habanos S.A. and TABACUBA.

In this period, the development of the Institute made itself known nationally and internationally throughout the publication of more than 100 scientific papers in the journal Cuba Tabaco and the monthly newsletter “El Productor” (MINAG), as well as more than 40 articles registered in the CENDA (National Center for Copyright).

The scientifically based services offered by this Center include the counselling for the implementation of the integrated management systems for the quality, environment and innovation, training and evaluation of Sensory (tasting) panels, diagnosis of the nutritional status and harvesting time, the application of microelements, minimum requirements of chlorophyll, seed certification; chemical analysis of soils, substrate and water, and calibration of the moisture meter Hygropalm.

The Institute takes into account several training options such as Phds, Master Degrees, Certification Courses in Tobacco and other courses. Besides, it features the application of an Extension System (input of research results and training of farmers and other workers along the tobacco network) as well as the Production Monitoring System (chemical analysis of green leaves, physical and chemical analysis of raw material, nicotine, tar and carbon dioxide in the smoke of products, and pesticides residues), which supplement its notable work as the leading entity in the advance of the Cuban tobacco industry.