by Yosley Carrero
HAVANA, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- For more than three decades, Miguel Herrera has worked as an operator of a sugar cane cutting machine in the Cuban rural town of Taco Taco, located some 100 km west of the country's capital of Havana.
Covered in dirt and sweat, the 61-year-old has now stepped up efforts to help transport sugar cane stalks from plantations to the nearby 30 de Noviembre sugar mill, one of the five biggest sugar cane mills in Cuba.
Wearing a long-sleeved shirt and a cap to shield from the tropical sun as usual, he told Xinhua that the recovery of the sugar industry on the island would bring prosperity for Cubans.
"If we increase the production of sugar cane we will generate more wealth and benefits for the Cuban society," he said. "Sugar has always been a fundamental export commodity in Cuban history."
Like him, thousands of workers nationwide are taking part in the current sugar cane harvest due to conclude in April.
His workmate Felix Dominguez, 59, said that they worked in 12-hour shifts to guarantee the supply of sugar cane to industrial processing plants.
"The revenues from sugar sales have helped us build schools, hospitals, and hotel facilities," he said. "The pandemic has demonstrated that we can produce sugar cane in difficult times when tourists are not arriving as needed."
Over the past decades, the number of sugar cane mills on the island decreased from 156 to 56, following a restructuring plan of the local sugar industry.
The Caribbean nation produced around 1 million tons of sugar cane in 2021, and is expected to produce the same amount this year.
At present, there are 35 sugar cane mills under operation across the country, according to official data.
Cuba's sugar cane production mainly concentrated in the central province of Villa Clara, followed by the provinces of Las Tunas, Holguin and Camaguey.
The Cuban government approved a package of 93 measures to revitalize the sugar industry on the island in such areas as production, renewable sources of energy, financial support, science, and innovation.
Liobel Perez, a senior official at Cuba's state-owned sugar company AZCUBA, said that the U.S. embargo against the island hindered the country's access to funding to improve sugar cane mill infrastructure as well as to buy machinery, fertilizers, and pesticides.
"As part of the government strategy to develop the country, the sugar industry is aimed at connecting different sectors of the Cuban economy while providing environmentally friendly sources of energy."
As the leading producer in the Caribbean, the island produces sugar cane for both local consumption and export. ■