With the first cane cuttings in areas of the Basic Unit of Cooperative Production (UBPC) Ilusión, in the municipality of Ciro Redondo, the 2024-2025 sugar harvest began today in Ciego de Ávila, first for the production of molasses and then raw sugar.

On this occasion, the sugar harvest will only take place in the Ciro Redondo sugar mill, the most modern in the country after a multimillion dollar investment that included the construction of a bioelectric plant nearby, which due to continuous imponderables, during the last few years, has made the interconnection with the industry and the productive success impossible.

The sugar mill, also known as El Coloso del Centro, will be among the 15 in the country that will produce the natural sweetener and, being the second largest crude plan, with 30,505 tons (t), has the challenge of contributing to the consumption of the province and the rest of the economy and the population as part of the national balance, said Eduardo Larrosa Vázquez, director of coordination and technical supervision of Grupo Azucarero Azcuba in Ciego de Ávila.

Among the forecasts of the collective of the Ciro Redondo plant is the production of molasses for several days and, if conditions are favourable, to begin sugar production before the official date, set for 20 December.

We will face a very difficult harvest, with the economic, commercial and financial blockade by the United States intensified, with practically no resources, added the director.

In the midst of these difficult circumstances, the agricultural and industrial collectives today made their productive commitments for the current campaign named «Zafra de la victoria avileña», in an act presided over by Alfre Menéndez Pérez, governor of the territory, together with other authorities of the Communist Party of Cuba, the government, political and trade union organisations of the province and the municipality.

Miguelis Moreno Madrigal, harvest director in Ciro Redondo, pointed out among the commitments of the harvest the delivery of three thousand 325 tons of cane per day, the fulfilment of the hourly task, ensuring the early start and closure, and maintaining the readiness of the equipment committed to the balance of cutting, lifting and pulling above 85 percent.

He also stated the importance of ensuring the foreign matter rate is below 10 percent, keeping the harvest loss below five percent and making optimal use of all allocated resources.

For her part, Belkis Luz Clark Muller, trade union representative of the industrial collective, said that among the tasks envisaged to fulfil the sugar production plan, to achieve 90 percent of the potential sugar cane yield and to reach an industrial lost time of less than 14 percent.

He added the validity of producing all the sugar with quality and to comply with the measures for the reduction of crime, illegalities and corruption.

Yusimí Castellanos Pérez, municipal secretary of the Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores Azucareros in Ciro Redondo, commented that the first battle is fought by carrying out each job with efficiency and quality, which allows for the development of a stable milling process in order to fulfil the small harvest.