Drought Delays Sugar Cane Sowing Time in Cuban Province

The sowing time for sugar cane in Cuba's province of Santa Clara has been drastically delayed due to the drought which has affected the island's agricultural sector since 2015. Farmers are unable to irrigate the soil destined for the crop, causing the delay according to the Cuban News Agency.

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Andres Duran Fundora, director of Sugar Group AZCUBA, the state-owned entity dedicated to the agricultural production of sugar and its derivatives, told reporters that low water reserves in Santa Clara have hampered agricultural production.

He explained that agricultural experts will make suggestions as to how to sow the sugar cane for the upcoming harvest after they complete their evaluation of the damages incurred by the lack of rainfall.

Norbelio Machado, Sugar Group AZCUBA's representative in Villa Clara, noted that the drought had already foiled the sowing plan for the first semester's harvest.

Located in the province's northern region, Villa Clara has been one of the areas hardest hit by the two-year-long drought, with water scarcity causing severe problems in the agriculture sector.

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To compensate, agriculturalists have been working overtime in other provincial areas which have received recent rain.

Machado said that sowing on a wide base, an agricultural technique that covers over 10,800 hectares, can help farmers survive the drought.

Jose Antonio Hernandez, a researcher at Cuba's National Institute of Hydraulic Resources said that Cuba's average precipitations during 2015 and 2016 has been the lowest in the last 30 years. He argued, “climate change is causing that, mainly in the region of the Caribbean.”