{"id":249897,"date":"2022-03-03T15:43:23","date_gmt":"2022-03-03T20:43:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=249897"},"modified":"2022-03-03T15:46:17","modified_gmt":"2022-03-03T20:46:17","slug":"no-good-omens-for-next-cuban-sugar-harvest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/no-good-omens-for-next-cuban-sugar-harvest\/","title":{"rendered":"No good omens for next Cuban sugar harvest"},"content":{"rendered":"

The planting of sugarcane for the coming harvest left much to be desired<\/a>. Apparently, because of the U.S. economic embargo\/blockade, the island has not been able to buy tires and batteries and surely other products necessary for the harvest, such as fertilizers. Therefore, forecasts are grim.<\/p>\n

The last harvest had already been terrible, with 38 of the 56 mills operating and barely 70% of the land planted. This year the picture is not encouraging either. According to official media<\/a> and reports, the Cuban sugar industry is headed for an even worse season.<\/p>\n

The 2022 harvest is expected to be well below last year\u2019s record low, Reuters reported<\/a>, citing experts and official data. It is currently at least 30% short of the government\u2019s goal of achieving 900,000 tons of sugar. The just-completed harvest of 800,000 tons was the worst since 1908, reaching just 10% of a peak of 8.1 million tons in 1989<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The government is still unable to finance the needs of the sector, including input, irrigation and spare parts, a situation aggravated by the new U.S. sanctions, to which the pandemic<\/a> has also contributed. \u201cThe government will have to import and perhaps cut the sugar quota in the monthly food ration. Bakeries will have to struggle to make sweets,\u201d said a sugar expert consulted by the British Reuters news agency in a note referred to above.<\/p>\n

The government had banked on a small increase in sugar production to meet its target of 4% growth this year, after the economy shrank more than 11% in 2020<\/a> and grew just 2% last year <\/a>with the reduction of resources available for mills and plantations.<\/p>\n

Cuban Vice President Salvador Vald\u00e9s Mesa toured the country in February urging sugar mill workers, farmers and cane cutters to produce more.<\/p>\n

To recover the sugar industry?<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n