The Eladio Machín Coffee Processing Company in Cienfuegos announced that it will pay in foreign currency to the harvesters during the current coffee harvest season, although it has not specified the currency that will be used, the amounts that workers will receive, nor when payments will begin.
The information was released by the provincial newspaper 5 de Septiembre, in a report that includes statements from Omar Bermúdez Sánchez, the general director of the company.
The payment will be made in foreign currency to the growers for their benefit and the improvement of their working conditions, the executive stated.
The announcement entails a forecast of remuneration in foreign currency for those involved in coffee harvesting, but the publication does not confirm that payments have been made nor specifies the amounts or the number of workers who will benefit.
It is also not specified whether the farmers will receive dollars or other foreign currency in cash, bank transfers, or even credits in freely convertible currency (MLC) accounts.
This last option would allow for electronic balances, but it would not necessarily equate to receiving cash in foreign currency. Additionally, the stores that sell products in MLC are currently out of stock.
The company also did not clarify whether this will be an additional payment on top of the usual earnings for the harvesters, when the payments will start, or what requirements the workers will need to meet in order to receive them.
Ultimately, the announcement raises expectations among the growers, but it leaves essential aspects concerning how, when, and how much they will be paid unclear.
A coffee sale contracted in Mariel
Bermúdez also reported that the processor has secured a sale in the Special Development Zone of Mariel, an operation that, according to his statements, will benefit the economy of the Cienfuegos entity.
The official mentioned that contract alongside the announcement of payments in foreign currency and did not provide details about the final destination or buyer of the production.
The coffee harvest has already begun in Cienfuegos, where they are working with robusta and arabica varieties.
According to the director of the Coffee Processing Company Eladio Machín, three pulping machines are expected to be operational during the campaign: Cuatro Vientos, San Blas, and El Nicho.
The Cuatro Vientos facility will receive the grain delivered by the Young Workers Army (EJT), while the other two will also participate in the processing.
The executive specified that coffee harvesting in the fields will take place twice a week, as part of the planned organization for the campaign.
Bermúdez also mentioned the work carried out in the plantations during the previous months, which, in his assessment, helped maintain favorable conditions for harvesting.
Among the activities aimed at improving coffee plantations, the work of the seed farm of the farmer Jesús Chaviano, located in Mayarí, stood out.
The official attributed the difficulties in the coffee sector to the U.S. embargo and claimed that these restrictions impact access to certain agricultural inputs.
"It is impossible to obtain supplies such as herbicides, pesticides, and tools," he stated.
The processor also maintains commercial activities in Cumanayagua, where the Casa Luis Gómez operates, dedicated to the sale of prepared coffee and coffee powder, both pure and blended, as explained by Bermúdez.
The news of the announcement of foreign currency payments to farmers comes at a time of expanding economic operations in foreign currency within Cuba.
In this regard, on September 10, new regulations were published for the management and retention of foreign currency revenues by economic actors, through Resolution 103/2026 of the Ministry of Economy and Planning.
The regulation encompasses, among other operations, income from sales to the Special Development Zone of Mariel and establishes different withholding conditions based on the type of entity and the source of the funds.
Additionally, the new Cuban Labor Code maintains the general rule of salary payment in Cuban pesos, although the regulation also includes certain income and bonuses in foreign currency under specific conditions.
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