Sugar Cane in Cuba: A Industry in Decline
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The inhabitants of the Camajuaní valley, in the province of Villa Clara, have known better times for the intensive cultivation of sugar cane. Today, many of the characteristic towers of the sugar mills that gave prosperity to the settlements of Carmita, Fe, Rosalía, La Julia and Vega Alta are in ruins.
A few continue to barely produce, and the workers don’t receive their salaries for months. This is the case of Rosalía’s macheteros, the cane cutters, who saw their cooperative close fifteen years ago. There, enough cane was cleaned and cut to fill a dozen wagons, and it was then transported for processing to the Fe sugar mill, officially renamed in 1960 as the José María Pérez Sugar Agroindustrial Complex.
The sugar plantations of La Julia, which must now assume all the local production for the harvest, are also in full decline. The cows and horses of the farmers continually enter their fields to feed. The damage further delays the poor cultivation of the cooperative, which, of the 20 tons that it cut before 2018, will only be able to contribute five this year.
Challenges Facing the Workers
About 320 people work in the La Julia cooperative. Mechanical engineers receive a salary of 5,000 pesos; technicians earn a little less; and workers, who must use their machetes in the heat under deplorable conditions, earn only 2,500 pesos a month, equivalent to about twenty dollars at the official exchange rate.
The Fe mill buys the cane from us at 700 pesos a ton, but the cooperative must maintain its autonomy, says José Luis, a worker at La Julia. That means that our salary depends on the income we can get. They are rarely paid on time. The sugar cane bureaucracy is indebted to the max to the Central Bank of Cuba, and that delay is directly reflected in the payment of workers.
The Future of the Industry
In addition to the precariousness with which the macheteros of La Julia live, there are several rumors, which are passed on by word of mouth in the workers’ settlements. Although no one has confirmed it yet, the farmers believe that the mills will no longer produce sugar for export, and will be able to provide barely a portion of the sugar needed for the island.
They believe that, instead, the government intends to sell the molasses to China, at a very high price. In that country, they say, they will use it to manufacture alcoholic beverages and purgative honey, which has a medicinal use, in addition to using it as fertilizer and feed for livestock.
Conclusion
The Cuban sugar industry, once the first in the world, is now in decline due to bureaucracy and malfunctions. The workers, who are already struggling to make ends meet, are faced with a uncertain future.
FAQs
Q: Why are the sugar mills in Cuba in ruins?
A: The mills are in ruins due to a lack of maintenance and investment.
Q: How many workers are affected by the decline of the industry?
A: About 320 workers are affected by the decline of the La Julia cooperative.
Q: What is the current state of the sugar industry in Cuba?
A: The industry is in decline due to bureaucracy and malfunctions.
Q: What are the rumors about the future of the industry?
A: The rumors suggest that the mills will no longer produce sugar for export, and will instead sell the molasses to China at a high price.