This Month Will be Decisive For Sugar Production and Demands Intensive Efforts

(Granma) – Recent rains in different provinces and unexpected breakdowns at sugar mills are among the main causes affecting progress on plans for this year’s sugar campaign, according to Julio García Pérez, president of the Azcuba Enterprise Group, speaking during a meeting to discuss the issue, which was recently led by the President of Cuba’s Councils of State and Ministers, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, and reported on the Presidency’s website.

Also participating were First Vice President Salvador Valdés Mesa, and other Party and government leaders.Current efforts are focused on meeting projections for exports and satisfying domestic demand.Provinces with the best prospects to reach at least 90% of planned production include Artemisa, Mayabeque, Matanzas, Villa Clara, Sancti Spíritus, and Holguín.It was emphasized during the meeting that the month of May is decisive to this year’s results, and demands intensive efforts on the part of management and workers. Addressing the issue of planting, the Azcuba President reported that, through April 30, more than 41,000 hectares have been prepared or planted, representing 57% of the spring plan.”To achieve continuity in planting, it is necessary to guarantee a higher rate of furrowing in the month of May,” he said.Major delays have been noted in the provinces of Villa Clara, Ciego de Ávila, Granma, and Guantánamo.Plans for this period were based on the expectation that the current harvest would have been concluded at this point, which has not been possible and implies adopting exceptional measures, since planting and harvesting must now be conducted simultaneously.