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CITRUS DIVERSIFICATION
Higher income for the same
quantity of fruit
● Cuban products’ quality
consolidating position in competitive European and
Canadian markets
BY RAISA PAGES—Granma International staff writer—
DIVERSIFICATION in the Cuban
citrus industry has made it possible to increase
income whilst exporting the same amount of fruit to
the European and Canadian markets.
Percy Ruiz, president of the
Ministry of Agriculture’s fruit industry group,
indicated that they are not only offering fresh
fruit but also regular juice, and concentrated and
frozen juice that has been aseptically processed.
During 2004, production levels
reached 740,000 tons, and 105,000 to 110,000 tons of
fresh and processed fruit were exported.
Last year, the harvests were
affected by Hurricanes Charley and Ivan, which
caused tremendous damage to cultivated areas in
Havana and Pinar del Río.
“When a hurricane hits or passes
close to citrus plantations, a lot of fruit is
knocked down by the wind and bushes are damaged. In
the last three years, four hurricanes have hit the
most important citrus plantations in the country,”
Ruiz explained.
“The goal is to maintain the
widest diversity for export so that we can offer a
broad range of products to the market. We take
advantage of the best prices at the right time. If
the prices of fresh fruit are favorable, we take
advantage of this opportunity, and the same applies
to fruit juice,” he underlined.
Ruiz also pointed out that
grapefruit harvest on the Isle of Youth – a special
municipality to the south of the Cuban archipelago -
occurs earlier than other areas from the region. If
we work hard in September and October, we obtain a
higher income, he added.
Conchita, Cubanita and Tesoro are
the fresh Cuban citrus brands sold to European
markets and have achieved high standards because of
their quality.
The following two joint ventures
are also attached to the Cuban fruit industry:
Cítricos Internacional, with Italian investment and
located in Pinar del Río, and Bodegas del Caribe,
with Spanish backing and vineyards in Batabanó,
Banao and Wajay. There are also the Havana-based
international economic association Agroquim, whose
objective is to export agricultural products to
Canada, and Sherrit Greem, linked to a firm in Ciego
de Avila that also exports to Canada.
Ruiz explained that business ties
with foreign companies are indispensable in order to
enter highly competitive markets. Emilio Farrés,
technical director of the Institute of Fruit
Research, pointed out that Cuba is now starting to
export fresh Maradol papaya to Canada and Europe.
There is a high demand for mango
pulp on the international market. Although most of
this pulp is used to produce compote for Cuban
children or for use at the Tropical Island plant,
some 2,000 tons of concentrated mango pulp was
exported to Europe last year.
“We believe that this year we
will be able to export small quantities of fresh
mango,” Farrés remarked, adding that in order to do
so, Cuba needs to make a greater investment because
of the kind of packing and quality demanded by
European clients.
The treatment plant at Ceballos
in the province of Ciego de Avila, possesses all the
necessary requirements to aseptically prepare a
large quantity of fruit products at competitive
prices for the international market, Farrés pointed
out. However, there is currently more demand for
Cuban fruits than the country is able to produce. |
