The Héroes del 26 de Julio Mechanical Company (Holmeca), located in Holguín, is currently assembling 24 Belarus tractors with 80 horsepower for future commercialization. This operation is also aimed at expanding its business and gaining easier access to the foreign exchange market both inside and outside of Cuba.
The information was published this Tuesday by Cubadebate based on a report from the Cuban News Agency (ACN), which presented the project as part of the economic transformations currently underway in the country.
The 24 units correspond to Belarus MTZ tractors and are assembled through a cooperative production between Holmeca and the Comercial Divep Company in Holguín, after technicians from the Cuban factory received training in Belarus.
Juan Cardet Bruzón, head of the technical department at Holmeca, explained that the new MTZ have 80 horsepower, incorporate some modernizations, and are divided into three main systems: mechanical, hydraulic, and electrical.
The project is not limited to the assembly of machines. Ramón Pifferrer Martínez, commercial director of Holmeca, explained that the agreement facilitates "access to the currency market, both inside and outside the national territory", in addition to opening possibilities for new partnerships and expanding the client portfolio.
The source does not specify, however, that the 24 tractors will be sold exclusively in foreign currency, nor does it detail the price at which they will be marketed or who will be able to purchase them.
The current batch is part of a process that has been in preparation for several months.
In June, the ACN reported that Divep was importing components for Holmeca to assemble tractors intended for subsequent commercialization in the eastern region.
The operation also included tillage machinery, engine kits, harrows, rice harvesters, and other equipment for various sectors.
The experience did not begin in 2026 either. In December 2024, the newspaper Trabajadores reported that Holmeca had assembled 12 MTZ tractors with 35 horsepower from Belarus and that it expected to complete another 36 units thereafter.
That production had begun following negotiations that started in late 2023 during the International Fair of Havana.
On the other hand, the new batch of 24 units arrives at a particularly challenging time for Cuban agriculture.
In May, leaders from the sector themselves acknowledged that the lack of fuel and resources had forced the reintroduction of oxen, windmills, and other low-tech alternatives to sustain certain productions.
Additionally, the assembly of Belarusian machinery is linked to the longstanding economic relationship between Cuba and Belarus.
In April, Minsk extended the compensation trade agreement under which Cuba supplies pharmaceutical products in exchange for vehicles, agricultural machinery, medical devices, and other Belarusian goods.
That mechanism had already facilitated the arrival of MTZ tractors to the island and represents one of the channels of economic cooperation that both governments have maintained despite Cuba's financial challenges and the international sanctions imposed on Belarus.
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