Tobacco

Tobacco was the main crop grown in our district until the late 1980s when it was replaced mainly by apple, pear and kiwifruit orchards. It was possible to make a good living from a small acreage of tobacco and a large work force at harvest time boosted the local economy. One farmer in the valley has a licence to grow a few acres and when I drove past today I noticed that he has started picking the leaves - they will be dried in his kiln and sent off for processing.