Cuba all set for another bumper sugarcane crop

Andrew English aenglish at igc.org
Thu Apr 27 12:11:52 PDT 2000


I sure don't know "what gives." How is the international market for sugar? Is there sufficient demand, or would higher production just depress prices?

If there is a production problem in Cuba, maybe it is related to breakdowns in the harvesting machinery, maybe lack of petro.

-Andy English

-----Original Message----- From: Brad De Long <delong at econ.Berkeley.EDU> To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com> Date: Thursday, April 27, 2000 1:25 PM Subject: Re: Cuba all set for another bumper sugarcane crop


>>As I recall there was a time (around 1970 I think) when the Cuban
government
>>wrecked the
>>economy mobilizing the entire workforce to try to harvest 10 million tons.
>>Afterward, they
>>criticized themselves and moved to a more balanced economic strategy.
>>
>>-Andy English
>
>But in the 1960s they *routinely* harvested 6 million tons. We today
>have better selectively-bred cane stalks, better fertilizers, more
>labor-saving machinery, Cuba has the same land as then...
>
>What gives?
>
>
>Brad DeLong



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