President Miguel Díaz-Canel announced this Saturday that sugar mills should produce electricity from biomass when they are not in harvest. The idea was discussed at a meeting with industry representatives to define strategies and challenges facing the Cuban sugar agroindustry.
Harnessing the biomass resulting from sugar production would help address the country's energy crisis, Díaz-Canel said. According to him, "if any sector has the potential to halt technological regression, it's the sugar sector."
However, doubts arise when recalling the case of Ciro Redondo in Ciego de Ávila. A multimillion-dollar investment was made there precisely to generate electricity from biomass, and the results have been discouraging. Despite repeated visits from various government officials, the Ciro Redondo project has yet to get off the ground.
Constant blackouts due to power outages at all thermoelectric plants and fuel shortages are a daily reality on the island.
Miguel Díaz-Canel recently began a tour of power plants to verify repair and maintenance efforts. Shortly before, on national television, he acknowledged the negative sentiment among Cubans regarding the blackouts. On that same occasion, he stated that the government has a plan to overcome the crisis. However, he did not specify when the power generation problems will be definitively resolved.
Faced with the scarcity of resources, the leader asked sugar producers to change their work styles. "We must innovate in processes, technology, and organization," he added.
A deteriorating industry
With a long tradition of sugar production, the work Álvaro Reynoso initiated in 2002 radically changed the island's landscape. Dozens of sugar mills were dismantled and their parts sold abroad. This changed the way of life of thousands of people who had depended on sugarcane processing for generations.
Since then, production has been declining year after year. In May 2022, data confirmed the worst harvest in the last 100 years.
That's a huge disgrace. You only have to look at the deplorable state of a sugar mill, much less the ones in Holguín, and the poor workers are arguing, not to mention the generally poor working and living conditions these poor people have, which is pitiful. I hope they turn it into a mixed industry like the nickel industry to see if things improve...
What good news! We Cubans are known for inventing with what we have. Thank you.