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Cuba's
Agriculture
The natural resources of a country are those
favorable elements that have been provided geographically to a land. In
Cuba's case, its main natural resource, as if blessed during its creation,
is its soil.
Cuba's
leading industry is agriculture. It is a country that takes advantage
of its rich soil to cultivate a variety of cereals, vegetables and fruits
as well as other commercialized agricultural products.
Introduction
Cuba's Soil Composition
Soil Distribution
Sugar Cane
Tobacco
Coffee
Other Agricultural Products
Natural Resources
Conclusion
Introduction
The
key economic and worldwide feature that Cuba has to benefit from is its
fertile soil. The islands soils are considered the best in the world,
with approximately 90% of the soil being workable for farming and grazing
or grass for feed. Cuba is fundamentally an agricultural country that
has taken advantage of its highly fertile soil by cultivating a wide variety
of rich tasting agricultural products.
Cuba's principle agricultural products,
which have served a valuable and indispensable economic resource, are
the sugar cane, tobacco and coffee. All of which are known throughout
the world for their quality.
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Cuba's Soil Composition
There
is a tremendous variety of different soil compositions on Cuba, with four
main categories that have been identified and several different soil classes.
Cuba's soil was initially described by its
color with classification for red soil, brown soil, dark gray soil, and
black soil. Later on these classification were distinguished by name with:
Argillaceous soil (Suelos Arcillosos) or of a clay substance; Savanna
soil (Suelos de Sabana) or a grassland area characterized by scattered
trees; Gravelly or Sandy soil (Suelos Arenosos) or an area with much pebbles
and pieces of rocks; Calcareous soil (Suelos Calcáreos) or soil containing
lime, calcium carbonate, or limestone; and other varied soil compositions.
Within these categories there are over sixteen different types of soils
that have been identified in Cuba.
The Argillaceous-red soil , in particular
the Arcillosos Matanzas, is a highly fertile soil which is considered
one of the most productive soils in the world. This soil is found in several
areas of the island, but primarily in the Province of La Habana and Matanzas.
There is also a large area of this type of soil in the Province of Camaguey.
Conversely, these provinces are the most fertile and produce a major portion
of Cuba's agricultural industry. The various Suelos Arcillosos types are
Arcillosos Matanzas, Arcillosos Habana, Arcillosos Variados, Arcillosos
Nipe and Arcillosos Bayamo. The Suelos Arcillosos are used to cultivate
a diverse group of plants, vegetables, and fruits.
The Savanna-brown soil, is somewhat less
fertile than the Argillaceous soil because of the extensive vegetation
characteristic of this soil, and is primarily found in the Provinces of
Las Villas, Camaguey and Oriente. The northern part of the Isla de Pinos
also consists of this type of soil. There are four types of Suelos de
Sabana, which are Sabanas Serpentinosas, Sabanas Arenosas, Sabanas Arcillosas
and Sabanas de Gravas.
The Gravelly or Sandy-dark gray soil can
primarily be found in the Provinces of Pinar del Rio. There are two types
of Suelos Arenosos: Pinares and Arenosos-Arcillosos; and normally are
covered by pine groves.
The Calcareous-black soil can primarily
be found in the Province of Pinar del Río and Las Villas, as well as on
the southern part of the Isla de Pinos. This soils is predominant on the
coastal areas of Cuba and is called on the island "diente de perro" (dogs
teeth) because of their sharpened crests. There are three types of Suelos
Calcareos, which are Diente de Perro, Mogotes Calizos and Calizo-Arenosos.
See Soil
Distribution.
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Sugarcane
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The
most valuable crop is sugarcane. Cuba is the world's major exporter
of cane sugar and the third greatest producer after Brazil and India.
Now, as before the 1959 revolution under the leadership of Fidel Castro,
more than half of the cultivated land is devoted to sugarcane. The
manufacture of sugar from cane is the chief industry. By-products
include molasses, syrups, industrial alcohol from molasses, and rum.
The cane harvest occurs during the dry months of January through April. |
| Since
the establishment in 1959 of a centrally planned economy under the
Communist government, sugarcane has been grown mainly on large state
farms and cooperatives. The Soviet Union and Eastern European countries
were the principal importers of Cuban sugar. Sugar accounted for almost
two thirds of all export revenues. The heavy dependence on a single
crop continues to hinder Cuba's economy. |
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Sugar Cane was first introduced in Cuba
by the conquistador Diego Velázquez in the town of Baracoa. It is
the most cultivated plant in all of Cuba, occuping approximately 40%
of land throughout the island.
There are only a few areas in Cuba
which do not cultivate sugar cane, these are the peninsulas of Zapata
and Guanacahabibes; the Isla de Pinos or Isla de la Joventud; and
the mountain ranges of Baracoa, Sierra Maestra and Guamuhaya.
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areas that produce the greatest amount of sugar cane are the deep
valleys of Guantánamo and Nipe, and the areas of Nuevitas, and Puerto
Padre in the southern part of the island; the municipalities of Morón
and Ciego de Avila toward the center of Cuba. |
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Tobacco
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Cuban
tobacco is famous worldwide. Traditionally it has been the country's
second most valuable crop. The finest tobacco is grown in the Pinar
del Rio Province. During the 1980s tobacco production declined, and
citrus fruits were challenging its position as the second leading
agricultural export.
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The
tobacco plant is cultivated throughout all of Cuba, with exception
to the Province of Matanzas. There are five main tobacco divisions
in Cuba, which include: Zona de Vuelta Abajo and Zona de Semivuelta,
that encompasses all of the Province of Pinar del Río; Zona de Partido,
covering parts of the Provinces of Pinar del Río and La Habana; Zona
de Remedios o Vuelta Arriba, covering the central part of Cuba; and
Zona de Oriente, encompassing the eastern part of the island. |
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Coffee
Coffee was brought
to Cuba in the 18th century, around the year 1748, by Antonio Gelabert
who brought coffee seeds from Haiti and planted a coffee plantation in
the town of Wajay, Province of La Habana.
Coffee is cultivated
in five main areas in Cuba, which are: Zona de Guantánamo, Zona de La
Maya, Zona de Palma, Zona de Lomas, Zona de Candelaria. The Province of
Oriente produces approximately 92%, Las Villas 6% and Pinar del Río the
remaining 2%.
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Other Agricultural Products
| Other
major crops are coffee, rice, tropical fruits, and vegetables, especially
corn, yucca, plantains, beans, and yams. There are dairy farms and
large cattle ranches. In spite of government efforts to improve these
herds, fresh milk and meat are in short supply and are rationed. |
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There
are several agricultural products that are of significance to the
island, such as:
-
Cereals (Cereales) such as corn and rice (maiz y arroz).
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Vegetables (Legumbres) such as black beans (frijoles
negros).
- Vegetables
for Stew (Viandas) such as sweet potato (boniato),
arum (malanga), cassava (yuca), potato (papa),
yam (ñame), pumpkin (calabaza) and plantain (plátanos).
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Other Vegetables (Hortalizas) such as tomatoes (tomate),
okra (quimbombó), egg plant (berenjemas), green
peepers (ajies), and cucumbers (pepinos).
- Fruits
(Frutas) such as oranges (naranjas), grapefruits
(toronjas), bananas (bananas) and pineapples (piñas).
Chocolate (Cacao) Peanut (Maní).
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Each
province cultivated different agricultural products. Pinar del Río
produced the best tobacco in all of Cuba and the world, and also cultivated
coffee and pineapples. The Province of Oriente was the main producer
of sugar and coffee in Cuba, and cultivated tobacco, banana, chocolate,
and plantains. Other products grown in Cuba throughout the other provinces
include pineapple, grapefruits, tomatoes, okra, egg plant, rice, and
peppers. |
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Natural Resources and Industry
The
land and climate of Cuba favor agriculture, and the country also has significant
mineral reserves. Nickel, chrome, copper, iron, and manganese deposits
are the most important. Sulfur, cobalt, pyrites, gypsum, asbestos, petroleum,
salt, sand, clay, and limestone reserves are also exploited.
The huge forests that once covered the island
are nearly gone. In remote mountains a few stands of mahogany, cedar,
ebony, and other fine cabinet woods and dyewoods remain. Reforestation,
a major government goal, is underway. Fishery resources were relatively
undeveloped until recent years. Since 1959 the annual fish catch and consumption
of fish throughout the island have increased substantially. Cuba is the
world's fourth largest producer of nickel and has about 10 percent of
the world's estimated reserves. There are large deposits of iron ore and
copper. Gold, silver, chromium, and cobalt are also mined. Although petroleum
has been produced since 1916, more than 90 percent of Cuba's petroleum
demand was supplied by the Soviet Union until 1990.
Mineral deposits are mostly found in the
Provinces or Oriente and Pinar del Río. In particular, iron is found in
Oriente in the Sierra de Nipe and to the east of Santiago de Cuba; manganese,
cobalt, and nickel are also found in Oriente; and cooper is found in Pinar
del Río.
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Conclusion
In
May 1959 the government of Fidel Castro signed into law the Agrarian Reform
Bill. At that time fewer than 10 percent of the landowners controlled
more than 70 percent of the agricultural land. The bill established 1,000
acres (405 hectares) as the maximum amount of land that any person or
company was allowed to own. A second Agrarian Reform Bill passed in October
1963 reduced that figure to 167 acres (68 hectares). Under these agrarian
laws only Cuban citizens may buy or inherit land. The government took
back all land owned by foreigners. Approximately 100,000 formerly landless
farmers were given plots of about 67 acres (27 hectares) each to farm.
Most of the confiscated land was transformed into large government farms.
Diversifying Cuba's industry is an objective
of the Castro regime. Lack of inexpensive fuel and comparatively few raw
materials have hindered the development of heavy industry. Trade and credit
agreements have been made with the Soviet Union and its allies to help
Cuba build factories.
Tourism was once a source of income second
only to the production of sugar. After the revolution in 1958 tourism
declined, as hotels and casinos were seized by the Castro government.
Since the mid-1970s tourism has again become a major source of income.
More tourists visit the island now than did before the revolution. Most
of them come from Canada, Europe, and other countries of Latin America.
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