Cuba postpones its annual cigar fair as a US oil siege causes severe fuel shortages and blackouts

HAVANA, Cuba (AP) — of Cuba The annual cigar fair, scheduled for the last week of February, has been postponed as the island faces power outages and severe fuel shortages, organizers said on Saturday. US oil embargo.

Habanos SA, the organizer of the cigar fair, said in a statement that it decided to postpone the iconic event to “maintain the high quality standard”.

Habanos SA, a joint venture between the state-owned company Cubatabaco and the international firm Altadis, holds the global monopoly on Cuban cigar sales.

Each year, the company hosts the annual Habanos Festival, a major event for cigar enthusiasts and distributors worldwide, where attendees tour tobacco fields, attend and witness auctions. the ultimate in craftsmanship.

In the statement made by Habanos SA, no new date was determined for the 26th edition of the cigar fair.

Last year, the event culminated with an auction that paid $18 million for critically acclaimed hand-rolled cigars. The company also reported record sales of $827 million last year.

Several cultural events, including a book fair, have been postponed in Cuba this month as the island grapples with the worst fuel shortages and power outages in years.

In late January, US President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on any country selling oil to Cuba, as Washington put more pressure on the island’s communist leadership to implement political and economic reforms.

Cuba imports about 60% of its energy supply and has long been dependent on Venezuela and Mexico for the bulk of its oil.

But shipments from Venezuela were canceled in January after the country’s then-president, Nicolas Maduro, was deposed during a US military raid; this also led to greater US surveillance of Venezuela’s oil industry.

Shipments from Mexico were halted in mid-February following Trump’s tariff threat.

Earlier this week, three Canadian airlines canceled flights to Cuba after the island’s government announced jet fuel would not be provided to planes seeking refueling at Cuban airports. Other airlines have continued flights to the island but will refuel their planes with stops in the Dominican Republic.

Fuel shortages also hurt tourism on the island; Some agencies canceled trips because the government closed some hotels and relocated tourists to save electricity.

Tabacuba, a state-run tobacco company, lamented in a statement the postponement of this year’s cigar fair, saying it was due to “the complex economic situation facing the country as a result of the intensification of the economic, commercial and financial blockade” imposed by the United States.