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The authorities in Las Tunas have set a target of producing 38,000 tons of sugar in the upcoming harvest, after concluding the previous campaign with only 7,200 tons, amid a deep industrial and agricultural crisis in the sector.
In this regard, the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) in Las Tunas has placed the 2025-2026 harvest under a strong political charge, defining it as a contest of “dignity, shame, and honor,” as stated by Osbel Lorenzo Rodríguez, the first secretary of the Provincial Committee, during the most recent Plenary of the organization, highlighted the official newspaper 26.
The province aims to produce more than 38,000 tons of sugar in the upcoming campaign, a figure that sharply contrasts with the results of the previous harvest, when only 7,200 tons were achieved, and the Antonio Guiteras mill finished with just 16% of its plan, which was labeled its worst historical performance.
El Guiteras, located in Puerto Padre, will be the only one to process sugar in Las Tunas next year.
Executives from Azcuba and the agro-industrial company reported to the Plenary about the state of preparations, which are characterized by repairs to critical routes, resource limitations, and a workforce weakened by production interruptions and the exodus of workers toward activities with higher income and stability.
Rafael Pantaleón Quevedo, the general director of the company, acknowledged that efforts are being made to attract and train personnel, as well as searching for workers from other facilities to fill key positions in the industrial process.
Still, the shortage of skilled labor remains one of the main obstacles to sustaining the milling process.
The analyses included the situation of the sugarcane base, considered by the authorities to be the most critical link.
The recovery of the fields faces repeated non-compliance with planting plans and a lack of motivation among producers, who are affected by leftover and re-leftover sugarcane that could not be processed due to industrial incapacity.
The First Secretary of the PCC himself acknowledged objective problems such as the lack of fuel and lubricants, the energy contingency, and the poor condition of the sugarcane roads.
These are supplemented by subjective factors, such as the underutilization of the workday and indiscipline, regarding which the Party called for strengthening political control and oversight to prevent crimes against the resources allocated for the sugar harvest.
The Plenary also addressed issues related to the territorial economic and social development strategy and the work priorities for 2026, in a context where the Cuban sugar industry continues to decline.
In the 2024-2025 sugar harvest, Cuba produced less than 150,000 tons of sugar, the lowest level in over a century.
The figure was far from the projected 265,000 tons, highlighting the ongoing decline of an industry that, for generations, has been the central pillar of the country's economy.
This debacle has been driven by a shortage of raw materials (sugarcane), recurrent power cuts, fuel limitations, and the advanced deterioration of the infrastructure.
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