The province of Las Tunas is "warming up its engines" with a view to the upcoming sugar harvest, and the exercises carried out at the Antonio Guiteras sugar mill in Puerto Padre are an example of the motivation of the different collectives in the face of another decisive struggle.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- On this occasion, the plans are flexible, but in the Tunas territory the intention is to manufacture some 69,534 tons of sugar, with a planned industrial yield of 8.29 and an estimated millable cane is 979,840 tons of cane.
The "Colossus" of Delicias (Puerto Padre) and Majibacoa, in the municipality of the same name, will manufacture raw sugar since only the units with the highest capacity and efficiency will be incorporated for this purpose. However, "Colombia" and "Amancio Rodríguez" will also start up their machinery.
The latter two units will produce molasses for alcohol production and, if the production parameters are favorable, "Colombia" will produce sugar too. According to authorities in the sector, this plant's staff is prepared to take on both challenges.
In the case of the "Antonio Guiteras", its commitment is greater, since it contemplates three stages in its milling. The first one, to obtain honey, has been favorable with more than 3,135 hectoliters of alcohol, and it is expected to start sugar production in the next few days, until the end of March. After that, the molasses will be made again.
In this and the other units, the repair stage has been intense so that the technology works properly, despite the delay in the entry of spare parts and other important resources, due to the tightening of the U.S. blockade against Cuba and the impact of the world economic crisis.
Bringing the agricultural machinery for the harvest into optimal condition has also been among the priorities and work is being done on the combined harvesters, self-tippers, shovels for the cleaning centers, forklifts, and carts, in addition to the trucks, locomotives, and cage cars for pulling sugarcane.
Generally speaking, it is believed that the struggle will be difficult in the province, but preparations are going at a good pace and the decrease in activity can be halted. It is even possible to diversify production and recover the economic management of the companies.
For this reason, the attention to the workers and their families is being organized, with the guarantee of food, emulation, and stimulation, and the necessary repair of the sugar cane roads has begun, without neglecting the planting and cleaning of sugar cane for future harvests.
