HISTORY: Sugar cane has lengthy been “king” in Cuba.
However, whereas the island as soon as produced hundreds of thousands of tonnes of sugar, native media say it expects solely a fraction of that, round 300,000 tonnes, subsequent 12 months.
It is a bitter image of the decline of agriculture in Cuba.
Supply shortages are plaguing the nation’s farms and have hit sugar significantly arduous.
Farmer Cristobal Ramos nonetheless resists.
“I believe if the federal government cares and takes care of the cane farms and producers who nonetheless have cane and others who’re fascinated with planting cane, then manufacturing can proceed – if they supply us with some fertilizers, some pesticides, provides and gas. Why? Because cane is a really docile plant, as you possibly can see, Hurricane Rafael got here via right here and wreaked havoc, and cane slowly recovered.”
This dilapidated tower within the city of Artemisa marks one of many many mills that not produce uncooked sugar throughout the island.
There had been as soon as 100 of them distributing merchandise each for Cuban customers and for exports.
Yasen Sanchez lives close by.
“After it closed, this ended. Before life was completely different, there was sugar, there was every little thing. Now right here, look, the ruins of the tower, and it is falling aside. This one has turn into ugly, ugly , ugly.”
Now, in Cuba’s communist-run economic system, sugarcane manufacturing is dominated by state-run factories.
The authorities mentioned this week that with much less sugar cane, solely 15 sugar factories shall be opened.
That’s down from 24 the 12 months earlier than.
The authorities says that attributable to harsh US sanctions and the financial disaster triggered by COVID-19…
Food manufacturing and processing in Cuba has decreased by greater than 40%.
Officials didn’t report this 12 months’s manufacturing, however a Reuters estimate of about 300,000 tons is just like output within the late 1800s.
