Cuba sees sugar recovery, more exports, after bitter harvest

FE Team | Published: December 26, 2018 20:56:40

HAVANA, Dec 26 (Reuters): After suffering from weather damage last year and into 2018, Cuban sugar production is expected to increase significantly in the current season now getting underway, a government minister said, but will still fall short of production and export totals from two years ago.
Cuba plans to produce 1.5 million metric tons of raw sugar during the harvest and export 920,000 metric tons, nearly a 50 per cent increase, according to a closed-door presentation to parliament by the economy and planning minister.
The harvest usually begins with a few mills operating in late November, and about 50 crunching cane by mid-January as dry and cool weather set in. Most mills close by May.
This year 20 mills opened in November and at least 25 more began operations this month.
Economy Minister Alejandro Gil Fernandez said recently that output fell 43.7 per cent during the 2017-2018 harvest, largely due to extreme weather damage, but was expected to begin a recovery, according to official media.
The Caribbean island, once a major sugar exporter, produced 1.8 million metric tons of raw sugar in 2016-2017 and exporte 1.1 million metric tons, according to the International Sugar Organisation (ISO).