Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Camagüey, Feb 28. - The oil blockade promoted by the United States government against Cuba as part of its policy of economic suffocation is currently affecting the progress of the sugar harvest in the province of Camagüey, impacting all activities in the sector, primarily the cutting and hauling of cane to the mills.
For example, in areas of the Florida municipality, located southwest of the provincial capital, only about 1,100 tons of cane have been reported harvested from the start of the grinding season until the middle of this month due to fuel shortages, according to a report on the Radio Florida website.
The harvest schedule was paralyzed following the recent blockade on energy imports entering the country, most of which come from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, where the Donald Trump administration carried out a military attack this past January 3rd.
Such actions also include the persecution of ships and other vessels transporting these hydrocarbons in the Caribbean, as well as the application of tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba.
These measures—intensified through an Executive Order signed late last month by the U.S. president in violation of international law—represent a new blow to the progress of the sugar industry, considering, among other effects, the time lost during the optimal period for raw material collection.
The municipality of Florida maintains its plan to collect 35,000 tons of cane to supply the neighboring Carlos Manuel de Céspedes mill, located in the municipality of the same name further west. Operations there were also halted as a consequence of the "imperialist war" aimed at slowing socio-economic life in the nation by obstructing transportation, electricity production, and progress in other areas dependent on oil and its derivatives.
During the 2025-2026 harvest, Camagüey had the Siboney mill (in the Sibanicú municipality) in operation since early January; however, it has stopped its machinery and agricultural tasks due to the oil blockade imposed by the United States.
The production estimate between the two local industries participating in the campaign is more than 14,000 metric tons of raw sugar.(Text and photo: ACN)
