It has rained too much on the field since the times of splendor of orange, tangerine or lemon, virtually disappeared from the domestic market, and only tastable at astronomical prices for the average pocket.
There were better times, and guaranteeing juices and fresh fruits -especially the capital of the country- was the purpose of Ceiba Citrus Company, founded on November 14, 1968, as a great idea of the Commander in Chief, who visited it almost weekly in its beginnings.
This is what José Piñero remembers, production technical director , who joined the company in 1975, when he graduated as an average technician in Plant Health, and became an agronomist at work. Pepe is about to retire, but with a fresh mind to remember much of the future of this agroindustrial entity in Artemisa, which celebrates half a century between acidic wounds and sweet results.
"The entity was created on lands transferred by farmers, in order to have a state company. Of 5,400 hectares planted with citrus at that time, and a small batch of coffee in Anafe and El Esperón, today we treasure 275, due to the impact of meteorological phenomena, the lack of inputs and the devastation of diseases. Such circumstances forced them to diversify productions and expand the corporate purpose ".
After the disappearance of the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance (CAME) in 1991, "we lost the largest market. Then we redirected grapefruit sales to Western Europe, until hurricane Charley effects in 2004. "
Cítricos Ceiba has been a pioneer in tourism sales. "We sell fruits, viands and vegetables to hotels in the west of the country."
Years before protected crops production had begun, first with wooden houses, and with modernization they have obtained tomato, cucumber and pepper, which they sell to tourism as import substitution, while pepper represents the only exportable vegetable today.
Vegetables "the best ones "
A look at the two modules of the Protected Crops UEB , shows us the devastating effect of Irma hurricane last year on roof the protected crop houses , already placed, although the consequences persist.
In the number one we find workers busy replanting, less pepper, the rest of their crops, of which they already have planted 0.36 hectares of hot pepper, 0.18 of tomato and 0.36 of cucumber, explained Jorge Luis García , head of the area.
Mercedes Santos has been working in the module for 17 years, with the satisfaction of attending a crop from the beginning and enjoying the results. She is not a talkative woman , but of facts, because this work can be very hard, says Diosmanis López, one of her co workers.
"We plant the posture when it arrives, as quickly as possible, and in harvest peaks we collect between 40 and 50 boxes in one morning".
Only two women work: Mercedes and her sister, who have the support of their colleagues during hard work.
Lopez points out that they are involved in the repair of the houses : they change meshes, roofs and hoses, now 30 centimeters from the plots , which is beneficial for irrigation and yields.
In the second module, fertigation is automated for the 21 houses; on the other hand, they only have planted eight to date and the rest ready to plant, said William Verdecia, the boss. They already harvest chili, produce postures and feel better to face the sowing and next season.
These improvements are linked to a sowing program with permanent irrigation, an antidote to Huanglongbing (HLB), said José Piñero. "The HLB is incurable; hence we try to keep the plant healthy in its first three years. "
Diversify to survive
"By 2018 the plan amounts to 18 tons, it is very difficult to fulfill due to Irma hurricane effects ". In addition, they export mango, charcoal and avocado (the only one in the country), with acceptance in the market; meanwhile, grapefruit is for sale to tourism, the industry in obtaining concentrates and state markets.
This year has not been positive in terms of exportable volumes either, although in 2017 it reached 27 tons of avocado and about five of mango, this time, not only in the brix degrees that determine sweetness ... and they grew too.
They collected 180 tons of avocado and 1000 tons of mango; however, they fail the export. A new disease in the avocado (sercospora) stains the bark and it can be used for foreign trade.
They have a mini-industry capable of processing only 0.7 tons of food per work shift, a reality that is under pressure from transformative actions.
Difficulties have had a negative impact in the citrus culture, the spirit of this entity keeps . New crops and markets mark the future of Cítricos Ceiba enterprise and its people, who prefer natural foods and the aromas of the tropics.
TRANSLATION BY LMMS
