Sugar Harvest Preparations Advance in Central Cuban province

SANTA CLARA, Cuba, Nov 18 (ACN) Preparations for the 2025-2026 sugar harvest are currently advancing in Villa Clara with the repair of machinery and the organization of forces to face a campaign marked by limitations, but with the commitment to meet the established production plans (20,000 tons of raw sugar).

Andrés Durán Fundora, representative of the Azcuba group in the province, told ACN that repairs are progressing with some delay at the Héctor Rodríguez sugar mill, although five brigades have now joined to support the completion of the work and be ready to start grinding before the end of December 2025.

He also detailed that progress is also being made in the maintenance of agricultural machinery, motor and rail transport, as well as the condition of the roads that will guarantee the transportation of sugarcane.

Julio César Finalet, director of the Héctor Rodríguez mill, stated that his team is working swiftly on repair tasks and partial testing of each equipment, in order to start the campaign on the coming December 22.

He acknowledged delays in key areas such as the feeder table, mills, and steam generation, but assured that the most urgent issues have been resolved and they trust to finish in the coming weeks to begin grinding as scheduled.

To confront the limitations, support personnel organized in brigades from the subsidiary company Electromecánica de Santa Clara, the sugar agro-industrial enterprises Abel Santamaría from Encrucijada and Panchito Gómez Toro from Quemado de Güines, as well as the Industrial Technical Services Zeti from Santiago de Cuba and Villa Clara, have been involved.

Milaxy Yanet Sánchez Armas, governor of the territory, highlighted during a recent evaluation of the sector the need to address all the support required for the harvest, including filling staffing positions and the situation of the roads, for which full coverage is not yet available.

The campaign will officially begin next December 14 at the Quintín Bandera sugar mill and refinery in Corralillo, while the intention remains to bring forward the calendar as far as adjustments in industrial machinery, harvest equipment, and transport means allow.

On this occasion, the Héctor Rodríguez mill will not operate alone, as the Corralillo mill joins, both with the aspiration of producing raw sugar aimed at covering internal social consumption needs.

It is planned that the Carlos Baliño mill, in Santo Domingo, will carry out the organic harvest (about six thousand tons), whose incorporation should occur in the first months of 2026, provided resources are available for readying its industrial machinery and completing the labor force.

From the Héctor Rodríguez mill, in Sitiecito, Sagua la Grande, work continues uninterrupted to advance the repairs that will allow grinding to begin as planned, with a production goal of more than eleven thousand tons of sugar.

Isael Rodríguez Rodríguez, a member of the Provincial Bureau of the Communist Party, stated that given the complicated scenario, it is essential to adjust the limitations to the work system, make the most of the workday and the potential of the teams to achieve success in this campaign.