The men of the Yumuri sugar co-operative in Cuba have toiled in the cane fields around the city of Cienfuegos since they were old enough to handle a machete. Cutting cane is Miguel Guzmán’s life. Coming from a lineage of farmworkers, he began the arduous work as a teenager.
For centuries, sugar formed the backbone of the Cuban economy, not only as its primary export but also as the foundation of another vital industry—rum. Older Cubans recall a time when the island thrived on the labor of families like Mr. Guzmán’s.
However, today, Miguel admits he has never seen the sugar industry as beleaguered and disheartened as it is now, not even during the aftermath of the Cold War when the Soviet Union’s lucrative sugar quotas vanished.
Rampant inflation, shortages of essential goods, and the enduring US economic embargo have created a grim economic landscape across Cuba. Yet, the situation is particularly dire in the sugar sector.
Miguel observes, “There’s a shortage of trucks, and fuel scarcity sometimes leaves us waiting several days before we can work,” as he seeks shelter from the scorching sun, awaiting the arrival of the aging Soviet-era lorries.
Lost hours of harvest due to idle men and machinery have significantly impacted production levels. Last season, Cuba’s sugar output plummeted to a historic low of just 350,000 tonnes of raw sugar, far below the 1.3 million tonnes recorded in 2019.
Within Ciudad Caracas, a 19th-century sugar mill near Cienfuegos, the air is heavy with the pungent scent of molasses. As outdated, corroded gears grind tons of sugarcane into pulp and juice, workers reveal it’s one of only two dozen operational sugar mills in Cuba.
Dionis Pérez, communications director of the state-run sugar company, Azcuba, acknowledges the dire situation. “That’s four more than originally planned for this season, thanks to the hard work and effort of the workers,” he says, “But the other 29 are at a standstill.”
Juan Triana from the Center for Studies of the Cuban Economy in Havana aptly summarizes, “It’s a disaster. Today, the sugar industry in Cuba is on the verge of nonexistence.”