From 2023 to this year, charcoal output here has exceeded four thousand tons, according to specialists from the Ministry of Agriculture, beating previous production figures.
In the last five years, several agricultural companies and cooperative and private associations have joined in, with the South of Jibaro Agroindustrial Grain Company (EAIG), La Sierpe and Flora y Fauna marching ahead in making charcoal, which is currently exported to Europe.
Ignacio Pérez, from the Government linked Provincial Directorate of Foreign Trade, Foreign Investment, International Collaboration and International Relations, highlighted this
item’s local production, describing it as very important in raising foreign currency and attracting new partners abroad, as demanded by the central authorities.
Prensa Latina learned that the hard currency obtained is critical for producers to purchase new equipment and essential inputs, which are now out of Cuba’s reach due to the unjust and ironclad blockade the United States has imposed on the island.
With such earnings, the Sur del Jibaro Company has been modernizing its machinery, after buying rice harvesters, as well as urea and other fertilizers.
The EAIG has been authorized to import and export since 2021, acting as a mediator for these operations, for the benefit of non-state management, including self-employed workers from various territories.
Heroine of Labor of the Republic of Cuba, María Elvira Dávila, director of Flora and Fauna in Sancti Spíritus, noted production of vegetable coal is now on the rise, by virtue of local and national interest.
Among its Base Business Units stand out the charcoal makers of Rancho Condado, Trinidad, with a monthly output of over 10 tons of charcoal for foreign markets.
These products, she assured, have multiple uses, such as industrial and household fuel, as well as in eateries, given the distinctive flavor it brings to food.
We have been among the first producers and exporters in Cuba of different charcoal qualities, through Alcona S.A., a trading and importing company belonging to the Flora and Fauna Business Group.
The main buyers are Spain and Portugal, and Belgium in a lesser degree, plus local costumers. Now we are looking for new purchasers, because selling options continue to grow, she indicates.
And mind it, she emphasizes: We devote our efforts to charcoal production without ever abandoning our specific responsibilities, meaning nature, adventure and rural tourism, while assisting other economic activities, namely livestock, agriculture and the promotion of new ways of life in the Turquino Plan areas.
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