Missionary tale 2: Even with a super production, small tobacco producers complain about being trapped by debts, payments r

The latest tobacco campaign left one of the largest production volumes in recent years in Misiones. With favorable climatic conditions and an agronomic cycle that accompanied it, the collection approached 37 million kilos, a number that, in strictly productive terms, allows us to speak of an exceptional year. However, far from translating into relief for everyone, a significant portion of the small producers is currently facing a critical situation. The good productive performance was explained by several factors: a climate that played in favor, solid yields per hectare, and the shift to the internal market of tobacco that in previous campaigns left for Brazil informally. To this was added a purchasing policy that prioritized volume over quality, with an average price similar to, or even slightly higher than, the previous campaign. But behind those general numbers appears the other side of the business: production costs continued to rise strongly, while many producers charged ...