Costa Maya, Q.R. — Sugarcane producers in the south of the state are anticipating a historical harvest. This, after a successful growing and harvesting season marked by top pesos.
Benjamín Gutiérrez Reyes, president of the Local Association of Cane Producers, said that thanks to the coordinated work between cane producers and harvesting groups, it has been possible to get the fresh canes to the mill for grinding.
“We have until the end of week 20 with 139 days of harvest and a harvest of 1,246,264 tons of cane, a karbe (kilograms of recoverable sugar base standard per ton of gross cane) of 112 is maintained and increasing points every day,” reported the sugarcane leader.
He said that if this healthy harvest continues, that is , if remains free of weeds and mud and is sent to the mill within 24 hours of harvest, the payment for a ton of cane could come in at around 920 peso, exceeding last year’s revenues.
“First of all, if we continue just as we are rising in the karbe, there will be another historical liquidation in the price of sugarcane, possibly surpassing the last harvest, where an important economic impact was achieved for the area,” he stressed.
Gutiérrez said that there are still more than 700,000 tons of cane to be harvested and the harvest estimate could increase. However, lately, they have had some problems and delays due to failures of the San Rafael de Pucté sugar mill, he said, but these issues are taken into consideration during harvest.
To date, Gutiérrez says industrialists are complying with the prearranged payments, something he says, he hopes continues until the end of harvest in May or June.
Mexico produces more than 58 million metric tons of sugarcane each year and is one of the most profitable crops in the country.
