What Lies Ahead for the Kentucky Tobacco Industry?
The tremendous amount of political, economic, legal, and social uncertainty surrounding the tobacco industry makes outlook projections for this controversial crop extremely difficult and risky. The current factors shaping the tobacco outlook lead to more questions than answers. While the industry has experienced much volatility over the past couple of decades, the trend line for Kentucky burley quota since the early 1970s is basically flat at 400 million pounds. Dark tobacco acreage allotments, while down in 1996, have rebounded considerably from their lows in the 1980s. Thus, despite all the serious attacks on tobacco, Kentucky tobacco production has not drastically declined as many have predicted over the years. But can the Kentucky tobacco industry survive in the future? Presently, tight world tobacco supplies and growing world demand are increasing the need for burley tobacco which may result in higher production quotas for Kentucky farmers in 1997. Despite escalated educational ca
