Sugarcane

For centuries sugarcane was the “queen” of the Cuban economy – the source of sugar and of Cuba’s famous rum.

A perennial grass with thick, juicy stems growing to 3–5 m, in which sucrose accumulates. It comes from New Guinea and was brought to the Caribbean by Columbus. After cutting, the stems regrow from the rootstock for several seasons. The pressed juice is made into sugar, and molasses and juice into rum; the crushed stalks (bagasse) are burnt as fuel in the sugar mills. The harvest (zafra) lasts from November to May.

Significance in the country

From the 18th century Cuba was one of the world’s largest sugar exporters, and plantations worked by enslaved people shaped its society and culture. After the collapse of the USSR and the closure of many sugar mills, production fell sharply, but cane is still a symbol of the Cuban countryside, and rum remains one of the country’s exports.

Where it grows

The lowlands of every province, most of all in the centre and east of the country – in Matanzas, Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Sancti Spíritus, Ciego de Ávila, Camagüey, Las Tunas, Holguín and Granma.

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