The Chinese Avic Intl Proyect Engineering Company is working in the municipality of Baracoa, in the eastern Cuban province of Guantanamo, installing the technology and set-up of a factory for the processing of the fiber and organic substrate of coconut, according to the Prensa Latina press agency (PL).
The new industry is part of a program for the integral development of this fruit, whose crops suffered considerable damage during the passage of Hurricane Matthew through that region, last October.
"The factory can process between 150 and 250 kilograms of raw material per hour," stated the specialists from China working in the installation.
Maite Hu, project manager of the company, said that China had a big demand for that fiber to manufacture mattresses and thermal insulation panels for buildings. "In addition, the organic substrate is used for the development of agricultural crops," he added.
Meanwhile, directors of several local industries at Guantanamo said that, in a second stage, they would build a facility close to the factory to process coconut palm wood, as well as another site to make ceiling slabs with plaster and coconut fibers. They also said that part of the production would be destined for export.
Baracoa is the largest producer of coco in Cuba and, even though Hurricane Matthew damaged more than 90 percent of its crops, the sector's recovery is palpable, thanks to the strategy established by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Source: radiohc.cu