Hope for Future Syrian Latakia?

[gloucesterman]

Sable, that's even sadder. It will be lost because we didn't value it enough to pay what it took to keep it around. But given the situation today maybe it would have been lost anyway.

 

[mikestanley]

I don't think that the fate of Syrian latakia was ever in "our" hands. Regardless of what we might or should be willing to pay.The Syrians quit producing it because the trees , shrubs etc. that are necessary to make it what it is were in very real danger of being used up.Over farming if you wil. That was done a number of years ago, before I began enjoying a pipe IIRC. As far as my opinion as to if we will see the weed again, not in my lifetime I'm afraid. I'm in my early 50's. As far as the thought that it has a short shelf life. It won't spoil, it just changes. I really enjoy latakia with a lot of age on it. I enjoy it longer than many who's opinions I respect.
Mike S.

 

[gloucesterman]

Mike, That's a very interesting picture and one we have some experience with here at home. In the North East the fishing grounds have been depleted of what once seem like an inexhaustible resource. Not by corporate greed or individual malice, just simple fisherman tying to eek out a living. It's hard to see the bigger picture when the mortgage is due. It's still sad to see something special disappear.

 

[deathmetal]

The Syrians quit producing it because the trees , shrubs etc. that are necessary to make it what it is were in very real danger of being used up.

If that's the actual reason, they made an intelligent decision.
The next question is: can those be grown elsewhere?
I'd buy Syrian latakia from Texas if it were of the same quality. Plants is plants.

 

[perdurabo]

So the Syrians were not good capitalist. They chose not to spend money to make money. I think Asad didnt do his job right. You teach someone to fish, not fish for them. Dictatorship=Dependency

 

[mikestanley]

I doubt anyone ever accused the Syrian govt

of being a bunch of capitalists. Lol. We seem to

be assuming that Syrian Latakia is a big

Part of the world' a tobacco supply. You don't

need it to make all but the tiniest fraction

of pipe tobacco and pipe tobacco is but the

tiniest fraction of the tobacco produced.

Mike S.

 

[stickframer]

I read something months ago about a moratorium placed on production of syrian back in the 60’s for environmental reasons. Happily I found the article!

For years Syrian latakia had been used in cigarettes and pipe tobacco. But it was taking its toll on the Syrian environment. Native hardwood and shrubs were used to fire-cure the shekk-el-bint leaves. Unfortunately there weren’t much farmable grounds in the area. Because of this natural resources were being used and consumed FAST. Also during the period 1850 – 1950 extreme damage to the forests in Syria was done. First by the construction of the Baghdad and Hedjaz railways, both were still operated with wood for fuel during WWI. Later from the ravages of WWII during which forest fires were purposefully set as a protest against the controlling foreign regime. So the Syrian government decided to place a moratorium (a what?? A delay or suspension of an activity) on the production of latakia in 1960. “But I smoked Balkan Sobranie and other mixtures which contained Syrian latakia in the 60’s and 70’s!” some of the old pipe smokers would say. Yes that is true. Most tobacco companies had hoarded the stuff so it was only around the beginning of the 80’s that they ran out of it. Some mixtures survived this by gradually switching from Syrian to Cyprian latakia.

Somewhere during the 80’s the Syrian government lifted the moratorium and to some extent the production was resumed...

Here is the full article. It's a good read.