Cigar Imports Exceed 400 Million—With One Month Of Data Still Not In
For the first time since the 1990s cigar boom, imports of cigars to the United States have exceeded 400 million units. A good showing for the month of November pushed import numbers to 420 million units, a territory the cigar industry hasn’t seen since 1997, when nearly 418 million cigars were shipped.
The news, released late this afternoon by the Cigar Association of America, showed an increase of 7.4 percent for the month of November. For the year—and only 11 months have been tallied at this point—shipments are up 33.5 percent over 2020 numbers.
This report came mere hours after the release of October figures, which were the least impressive month of 2021 to date.
Last year was exceptionally strong in the cigar industry, particularly the closing months of the year. December, for example, had a 71 percent increase over 2020, taking imports to 361 million units.
