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Tobacco Road

Viñales, at the western end of Cuba, is the heart of tobacco country. The soil and climate of these parts make for excellent cigars. About 90% of the crop goes to Fidel. I'm not suggesting that Fidel smokes that many cigars. But Cubans talk of the government as 'Fidel' and these farmers are in essence his sharecroppers.

The other 10% the farmers can keep for themselves -and they make their own cigars which they try to sell to the thousands of tourists who come to these parts.