Fausto Adames, writing in the economic section of Hoy newspaper, reports that despite the fall in exports and the smaller local crop, local cigar manufacturers are maintaining their foothold in the world market. Contrary to the trends in bulk tobacco exports and tobacco harvesting, the cigar manufacturers are claiming that the rise in international cigar prices has softened the loss of 28% sales volume over the past two years. A renewed interest in cigars has spurred production in the main cigar manufacturing centers of Santiago and La Romana. Dominican cigars have conquered 60% of the cigar market in the United States and are making serious inroads in Europe, especially Switzerland. The most recent figures indicate more than 250 million cigars exported, and this is only part of the overall tobacco export that includes baled tobacco and moves between US$200-US$300 million in the Dominican economy.