Cuba has been defending itself against allegations that the quality of its famous Havana cigar is declining because of a dramatic increase in production.

The head of the state tobacco producers, Osvaldo Encarnacion, rejected the criticism which has come from some foreign importers and connoisseurs.

He told a news conference in the Cuban capital that each cigar was still made as a "work of art".

Cuba expects to produce a record one-hundred-and-sixty million cigars this year, earning vital hard currency.

But the BBC correspondent in Havana says the reputation of the Cuban product could also be undermined by a thriving black market in counterfeit cigars.