(EFE).- Cuba planted 2,384 hectares of cane in January, 30% below what was planned, and in the midst of a crisis in the sector, historically strategic on the island, the official newspaper reported this Friday. Granma.
According to the newspaper, 100% of what was anticipated has not been achieved due to the “tightening of the blockade (…) of the US government” and “the global economic crisis” caused by the pandemic.
These factors, he argues, have made it difficult to acquire materials such as batteries and tires that limited the work of the power plants, which “started grinding with a deficit”
These factors, he argues, have made it difficult to acquire materials such as batteries and tires that limited the work of the power plants, which “started milling with a deficit.”
In addition, in statements to the official media, Tomás Aquino, director of Caña of the state company Azcuba -in charge of the sector-, pointed out that some “organizational problems” have also been identified during the 2021-2022 campaign, which began in November.
The island’s sugar industry, for decades the mainstay and pride of its economy, has been in a difficult situation for several years.
Of the 156 mills operating in Cuba before 1959, only 56 remain, and only 38 of them were milled in last year’s harvest.
In 2021, the state firm planted only 69.4% of the area it planned to cultivate in a harvest that Azcuba described as “one of the worst in the history of Cuba.”
The official forecasts for this sugar harvest anticipate a production of some 911,000 tons from the activity of some thirty factories from December to next April.
According to information offered at the meeting of the National Assembly of People’s Power (unicameral Parliament) last December, the sugar production of this stage is destined mostly for internal consumption -500,000 tons-, while another 411,000 tons are planned for export.
For 2022, the company planned a 50% increase in planting compared to the previous year
The previous harvest (2020-2021) closed with 1.2 million tons of sugar, 34% less than anticipated. That amount is far from the 5.6 million tons collected in 1959 and the up to 8 million achieved in the best seasons between 1970 and 1989.
For 2022, the company planned a 50% increase in planting compared to the previous year.
In statements reported by the official press on February 8, President Miguel Díaz-Canel criticized the lack of “discipline” in the sector to meet the objectives and asked that the problem be discussed in the provincial bodies of the ruling Communist Party of Cuba.
“That each one locates itself in what those disciplinary problems are and discuss and combat them,” insisted the Cuban president.
________________________
Collaborate with our work:
The team of 14ymedio is committed to doing serious journalism that reflects the reality of deep Cuba. Thank you for joining us on this long road. We invite you to continue supporting us, but this time becoming a member of our journal. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.
