In El Caneycub, Santiago de Cuba, esteemed for its fertile valleys, high-quality mangoes face spoilage due to the absence of packaging, electricity, and transportation solutions. The Cooperative of Credit and Services Martyrs of El Caney oversees cultivation of approximately 292 hectares, expecting a yield exceeding 600 tons this season. However, leaders of the cooperative admit an inability to acquire even a single new container this campaign.
Electrical instability impacts manufacturing tasks critical for utilizing the fruit and minimizing waste. Bacilis Leyva Durán, president of the CCS, remarked, "The countryside will have the final word," highlighting the uncertainty impacting a harvest not reaching consumer tables.
Operating under constraints, the cooperative's mini-industry transforms part of the harvest into pulp, creams, sweets, and vinaigrettes, yet these operations are heavily reliant on scarce electricity and containers. "When the electricity arrives, we will move to the mini-industry," stated Leyva Durán.
Rapid ripening and theft exacerbate issues, as noted by producer Dulce María Cedranes Rivera, who said, "We can't keep up. And on top of that, they're selling them for a fortune in the city."
The reality reflects logistical neglect, supply shortages, and inadequate state planning rather than preserving El Caney's mango legacy. An official report highlighted the essential, yet failing, aspects ensuring this food reaches Cuban households affordably amid a hot summer and a high-priced market.
Cuba's economic crisis exacerbates the impracticality of wasting valuable resources like mangoes, a commodity with high local and industry demand. The ongoing issue is exemplified by Finca El Palmar in Manzanillo's 2021 mango harvest losses, attributed to inefficiency from state enterprises under the Ministry of Agriculture.
Current realities remain unchanged four years later in Granma, where May to August harvests potentially face similar underutilization and loss, as admitted by agricultural officials. Social media content reveals the economic repercussions, with skyrocketing mango prices on the island, as shared by content creator Jesús de Cuba.
Source: Cibercuba