Conscious of the great responsibility implied by a sugar harvest, the workers of the «Primero de Enero» sugar mill are in the final phase of the repair process, prior to the start of the 2026 campaign.

Robelsi Rodríguez Molina, the mill’s manager, reported: «Our industry has completed 88% of the repairs, an advance achieved in record time. During this stage we faced limitations with supplies such as gases (oxygen and acetylene), lubricants—oils and greases—and some technological equipment that we did not have available in the enterprise.»

«We had the opportunity to turn to mills that have been paralysed in recent years, such as the Jaronú, in the municipality of Brazil, Camagüey province, from where we obtained key resources to advance,» added Rodríguez. «We also managed to unify the workforce, recovering workers who had left the industry due to salary issues, through a favourable payment system that allowed for their reintegration.»

The constant effort of the men and women dedicated to revitalising the Violeta-based industry, combined with support from external forces, has allowed difficulties to be overcome step by step.

Regarding one of the most critical challenges, the manager explained: «We had a priority area, a real red flag: the power plant, whose turbo-generators had gone more than two years without maintenance due to a lack of resources. We managed to contact specialised mechanics from Sancti Spíritus province, who have now been working here for a week. Currently, that area is advancing with momentum and exceeds 60% of its repair: one turbo is ready and the other is close to completion. Once finished, our chimney could be emitting smoke by early February.»

Two brigades of workers from Las Tunas province and a similar number belonging to the ZETI are contributing to the local effort. The sugar workers of «Primero de Enero» are ever closer to seeing their dream realised: to hear the mill’s whistle and see the smoke billowing from its chimney.