Reinventing the Cuban Sugar Agroindustry

(Paperback)

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One of the key issues that faces Cuban policymakers today, and will continue to face them, is what steps to take in order to ensure the future of the sugar industry. In 2002, nearly one-half of the country's cultivated land was occupied by the 156 fully functional sugar mills, more than a dozen plants and refineries, and the complex transportation infrastructure brought about by the commerce. The loss of preferential markets for Cuban sugar that arose from the demise of the international socialist community constitutes a crisis that the Cuban government has only begun to address, with a radical restructuring plan that would foresee the reduction of sugar land and the elimination of about 100,000 jobs, for increased economic emphasis on tourism. The radical premise of this volume is that there is a future in the twenty-first century for a reinvented Cuban sugar agroindustry, responsive to market signals, organized around smaller and more agile production units, producing raw sugar as well as high value-added outputs, and using some of the facilities to produce ethanol and generate electricity. The editors have asked over a dozen recognized world experts on Cuban agroindustry to analyze specific topics and make recommendations that would not only reinvent an industry for effective transition to a free-market environment but that has the potential to reinvigorate the Cuban economy, providing employment opportunities and generating wealth for generations of Cubans to come.

Reviews

For centuries sugar was the engine of the Cuban economy, but in 2002 the industry was cut down to half its size, thus ending its predominance. This superb collection of essays written by internationally known experts in several relevant topics, and skillfully edited and integrated, provides the best analysis available of the demise of Cuba's sugar industry. Furthermore, the authors study in depth the 'reinvention' of the industry in probable future moves to the market and democracy. It should be read by all those interested in Cuba, sugar, and Latin America. -- Carmelo Mesa-Lago, Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Economics and Latin American Studies, University of Pittsburgh
Despite the collapse of the Cuban sugar industry in the 1990s, it is difficult to think about the economic future of the island without factoring in the once-dominant sugar industry. In Reinventing the Cuban Sugar Agroindustry, the editors have brought together a blue-ribbon group of international experts who analyze the condition of the industry and potential avenues for its future growth taking into consideration a very complex international economic environment. This volume is essential to understanding the current woes of the Cuban industry and some of its alternatives under a market-oriented system. -- Sergio Diaz-Briquets, senior vice president, Casals and Associates
Seventeen papers consider the background, transition, and potential future paths of Cuba's sugar agroindustry. * Journal of Economic Literature *
Sugar is a permanent part of Cuba's culture, geography, and economy, but massive production, Soviet subsidies, and U.S. quotas are things of the past. In this comprehensive volume, Jorge Prez-Lpez and Jos Alvarez help us understand sugar's roots in Cuba, its current restructuring, and the options for a downsized, economically viable industry that will carry into the 21st century. A real gift to students of Cuba's economy, and to those who ponder its future. -- Philip Peters, vice president, Lexington Institute

Author Bio

JosZ Alvarez, professor of food and resource economics at the University of Florida's Everglades Research and Education Center, Belle Glade, is a recognized expert on Cuba's agricultural issues and on the sugar agroindustry. Jorge F. PZrez-L-pez, an international economist, has conducted research and written on many aspects of the Cuban economy, including national income accounting, energy issues, and foreign trade and investment.