By Lorenzo Paez Nunez, Corresponsalia Libertad, Buro de Prensa Independiente de Cuba, (BPIC)
ARTEMISA, February 20 (Corresponsalia Libertad, BPIC)- During the 1996 sugar harvest season (zafra), and in a desperate effort to show that the Cuban economic crisis had hit rock bottom, and therefore the recovery had begun, at least in the economic sector, the Cuban government got into debt with foreign banks to reach 4.2 million tons of sugar production, which, though low, and even ridiculously meager, is a higher zafra than the year before.
Ever since 1959, we've gotten used to to the lack of stability in our economy,and we were expecting to see what would happen this year, when, to be able to continue to say that we were advancing, we would have to reach 4.5 million tons of sugar production.
However, considering the seriousness of the news broadcast by the officialdom, it seems practically impossible to surpass, or even match the previous zafra.
With the current crop, the first million will not be produced until mid-February, and everyone knows, that the highest yields occur during January and February.
Sugar mills begin production at different times, but even then sufficient time has passed for the production to be higher. But, above all, we are basing our analysis not only on the time that remains, which is not long, but also that the yields will be less.
To surpass last year's production we need another 3.5 million tons of sugar. We don't presume to apply strict mathematical calculations, because, as we know, there are positive and negative factors. But we are sure that the triumphant recovery of our primary industry, well advertised in 1996, will be reduced to shreds in 1997.
The self-sacrificing sugar workers are tired. They don't have shoes or clothes. Their monthly salaries are only enough to subsist for six or seven days. There is a great deal of skepticism about the bonuses given to those with perfect attendance or exemplary performance.
The constant presence of the regime's political police in the sugar mills, inspire fear, at the same time that stress, already at high levels, increases. The turn-over of workers is the order of the day.
In order to offset the lack of workers, they had to bring prisoners from el Brillante prison to work at the mills like Eduardo Garcia Lavandero, the most stable in Artemisa during the current zafra. Many of the experienced workers in the industry have resigned.
The most indispensable means of protection are nonexistent, and the stopages are constant, especially because of a scarcity of sugar cane, even though they press the cane from nearby mills like Manuel Martinez Prieto in the province of Havana.
The discontent of the workers at the Lavandero mill has extended to the mill town, to the extent that on February 14, a lateral access to the mill was blocked with an barricade improvised out of stones, in protest for the destruction of the street, after a pipeline installation.
The police, and Party officials came to the site, and promised to the people, who held their positions, that the street would be repaired.
To all of this we must add the innumerable sugar cane field fires that have occurred, before the zafra began, and, last week, two large fields full of spouts burned down.