The Cuban sugar industry is experiencing a profound crisis, with local production falling short of meeting the population’s basic needs. Meanwhile, Cuban engineers are being sent abroad to support sugar production efforts in other countries, notably Guyana, reported Ciber Cuba.
A group of 20 Cuban engineers, including Arturo Proenza García from Puerto Padre, is working in Guyana to introduce modern sugarcane planting and production techniques. Their efforts have yielded positive outcomes at the Albion Sugar Estate, according to a report by the state-run broadcaster Radio Libertad.
Despite the largely manual nature of sugar production in Guyana, Cuban experts have implemented strategies such as wide-row planting, fertilization, herbicide use, and mechanization. These techniques have significantly boosted yields in areas designated for mechanized harvesting.
The Cuban engineers are also developing demonstration plots and machinery, including a plough currently undergoing trials in local workshops, Radio Libertad reported.
“Arturo Proenza García, along with a team of Cuban experts, is achieving positive results at the Albion Sugar Estate in Guyana, where over 4,000 tons are processed, with 94% done manually and 6% mechanized,” stated the broadcaster.
The contrast is stark: while Cuban engineers achieve notable advances abroad, Cuba’s sugar industry, once a symbol of national pride, is on the brink of collapse. The country struggles to meet the basic sugar quota for its citizens, underscoring the regime’s misaligned priorities.
This situation is not without precedent. In April, Guyana hired Cuban engineers to help overhaul its electrical system, even as Cuba itself faced a severe energy crisis.
At home, only 15 sugar mills are operational for the current harvest, underscoring the depth of the crisis. Last season’s harvest was the worst since 1898, with a production of just 350,000 tons—far below the planned target. While Cuba’s sugar availability for rationed products continues to dwindle, its regime continues to prioritize foreign projects.
During a plenary session held in Havana last October, Vice President of the Republic Salvador Valdés Mesa called on sugar workers to remain committed and declared that the working class “will not fail the Revolution,” as reported by state-run newspaper Trabajadores.
