This year, the Ministry of Agriculture will electrify the watering systems in 40% of the root and green vegetable plantations , thus producing 11 million dollar savings in fuel. In 2002, the modernization in the watering systems covered 13 200 hectars of root and green vegetables, i.e., 27% of the watered area of those cultures.

Potato and banana plantations, where electrified watering systems cover 80% and 40% respectively, rank as the two top cultures in the introduction of this new technology. Cuba devotes 13 000-14 000 hectars around 77 000 hectars to the production of potatoes and bananas, respectively.

In 1998, each 100 000 lbs of products required 49 tons of diesel; now that figure has been reduced to 28 tons. In root and green vegetables it decreased from 14 to 12 tons for each 100 000 lbs in the last four years. In rice, the fuel expense went down by 50%. The daily energy consumption in agricultural production in 1999 was made up by 64% of diesel, which is the most expensive fuel. In 2002, that figure decreased to 57%.

Export of organic products increase

As part of the effort to increase the added value of agricultural exports, the citrus enterprises have promoted the production of organic juices for the European market. Thus, Ceballos enterprise in the province of Ciego de Avila, in the center of the country, produced 814 tons of organic orange juice and more than 130 tons of grapefruit juice, while another enterprise in the province of Cienfuegos exported 500 tons of orange juice with ecological certification to the European market, following an agreement with a chain of Swiss supermarkets.

A long harvest with poor results

The sugar harvest was officially terminated on June 23. This harvest was the first one after the profound restructuring process initiated in the second semester of last year.

The harvest had started in December 2002 and lasted 180 days. It was the longest of the last 8 years and probably the one with the poorest results as to daily sugar production. Limited material resources and a late start in some factories in several cases, and technical and climatic elements in others have been pointed out as main causes of the poor results.

However, the most important obstacle to achieve larger productions continues to be the poor hectar yield of sugar cane. The restructuring of the sugar sector includes the reduction of the planted cane areas and their compacting in zones with better yields; however, it was impossible to achieve that target in this first harvest after the restructuring process.

The highest agricultural yield was obtained in 1989, when 64.1 tons were produced per hectar, but since 1992 the Cuban sugar production does not exceed 40 tons/hectar.

Taken from: Cuba Foreign Trade