The cigar industry - a dynamic sector in Honduras

Producing cigars requires a great deal of specialized labor and fine craftsmanship. More than a hundred pairs of hands and two years of work go into every cigar. The cigar industry is an excellent creator of economic growth in Honduras, especially the region of El Paraíso. Nearly 15,000 people are involved in the tobacco industry, between the fields, the tobacco pre-industry, and the cigar factories.

According to the Honduran Central Bank, in 2019 the cigar industry brought in a total of $120.00 M in export revenue. This places cigars as the fifth largest export out of Honduras, after coffee, bananas, palm oil, and shrimp.

An added benefit of the cigar industry is that it actively engages a number of other related trades, such as carpentry, printing, and transportation. The cigar industry can employ an entire community. Because cigars are produced primarily outside the country’s major economic hubs, the industry is an important source of formal employment in semi-rural communities, benefitting more than 100,000 people.