More than 5,500 tons of potatoes rot in Ciego de Ávila despite the food crisis

In the midst of the serious food shortage in Cuba, the province of Ciego de Ávila reported that more than 5,500 tons of potatoes were lost due to high levels of rot in the recently completed harvest.

Raúl Monguía Rodríguez, a specialist in the provincial delegation of Agriculture in the cultivation of this food, reported that 5,535 tons of the recently completed harvest could not be used due to the existing levels of rot, the local newspaper cited. Invader.

He explained that potato harvesting "in Ciego de Ávila ended with more than 5,500 tons below of the 17,860 planned, as a consequence of weather effects and lack of resources, among them the post-emergence herbicide that eliminates undesirable herbs.

He added that the high temperatures caused physiological alterations within the tuber, and then the rainfall delayed the harvest of the potato between six and 10 days.

Losses in storage were estimated between 25 and 30% throughout the province, for a total of 5,535 tons lost due to rot, he noted.

The official newspaper justified the fact with the climate on the island, and stated that "in April there were reports of temperatures of up to 34 degrees Celsius, rare in that month, and rain, even with thunderstorms, also very rare in the fourth month. of the year".

Last year, more than 173 hectares (ha) of potatoes were also lost in Ciego de Ávila, in what was considered the worst harvest of the tuber in the last 20 years.

That year the same newspaper said that the main causes of the disastrous agricultural campaign There were the inclement weather and the poor collection planning carried out by the specialists from the Territory's Agriculture Delegation.

The poor state management that causes the loss of food is paid for by Cubans. In January the government raised the retail price of potatoes to 11 CUP per pound "so as not to generate losses or subsidies to the State budget for its production and marketing," according to a resolution published this Wednesday in the Official Gazette.

The Ministry of Agriculture, through Resolution 5/2023, set the single price for the regulated sale of potatoes in Cuba at 11 pesos per pound, almost double what it was worth in 2022.