Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/724263
74 tobaccoasia / Issue 4, 2016 September / October A place to visit Beyond tobacco production, Santa Cruz do Sul is a great place to visit. It hosts the biggest German festival in Brazil and the third largest in the world. Called Oktoberfest, the party promotes German traditions since 1984, with lots of beer, dance, and a strong emphasis on cultural aspects. Parallel to this celebration, local traders, farmers, and small industries in the region introduce their products and services in a big fair. Culturally speaking, the city also holds one of the biggest festivals of ama- teur art in Latin America. Called ENART (Art gathering and Gaúcha* Tradition – Encontro de Artes e Tradição Gaúcha), it welcomes more than 2,000 artists and more than 60,000 spectators during its last phase. As a sport center, the International Autodrome of Santa Cruz do Sul is one of the most modern circuits in Brazil and it received the Formula Truck (trucks races) and Stock Car. "It generates financial support for an average of 153,730 rural families," states Souza Cruz PR report. "Its products reach 300,000 retailers and almost 5,500 municipalities, which evolved into the most complex distribution operation that BAT Group has and one of the biggest in Brazil." With such a diverse investment portfolio en- riching this market, the 65,000 producers, and – truth be told – the entire population of this re- gion, have a lot to be thankful for, but above all for the fact that unlike many other regions in the country, they are virtually debt-free. According to the Tobacco Growers' Association of Brazil (AFUBRA)'s president, Benício Werner, the asso- ciation created a "mutual help system". It covers any financial losses in the fields in case of such weather phenomena as flooding, frost, or any oth- er problems as a result of bad weather that can compromise production. "This was created in 1956, one-and-a-half years after AFUBRA's inauguration, and it guar- antees that producers won't lose the work of an entire year with unpredictable problems," explains Werner. To be insured, a producer has to to be part of the association and pay a symbolic amount of R$11 (US$3) per year. Harvest, processing, plant nutrition, and seeds production of different types of tobacco are some of the sectors that are integrated into the local market. Everybody in the region is connected to Benicio Albano Werner - AFUBRA president Use of agrochemicals has been greatlly reduced in Santa Cruz do Sul Tobacco Farms Profile for 2014-2015. Credit:AFUBRA Dried tobacco. Credit: Souza Cruz