Cuba says sugar cane rust and smut under control

Cuba says sugar cane rust and smut under control
Tue Jul 15, 2008 10:32am EDT

HAVANA, July 15 (Reuters) - Plague-resistant sugar cane varieties and
improved cultivation have dramatically reduced the presence of cane rust
and smut in Cuban sugar plantations, boosting output, the country's top
expert said on Tuesday.

"Today we are at one of our best moments in terms of cane varieties,"
Ignacio Santana Aguiar, the director of the National Sugar Cane Research
Center, said.

Santana, interviewed by a local radio station, said 87 percent of the
country's sugar cane comes from Cuban-developed varieties to meet the
country's specific conditions, compared with 47 percent in 2001.

"These varieties are more resistant to plagues and disease and mature
more quickly," he said.

"We are at 4 percent of total acreage with must (carbon de cana),
compared with 54 percent in 2001. In terms of rust, we are at 15
percent, compared with 60 percent in 2001," he said.

Cuban raw sugar output increased 24 percent this year to 1.5 million
tonnes, the first increase since the industry was downsized by more than
50 percent in 2003.

The sugar ministry said a similar increase was expected next year.

When Cuba reorganized the industry it set the goal of raising average
yield from 21 tonnes of cane per hectare to a minimum 54 tonnes.

The average yield was 28 tonnes in 2006 and 36 tonnes in 2007, with
Reuters estimating this year's at just over 40 tonnes per hectare.
(Reporting by Marc Frank, editing by Matthew Lewis)

http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSN1529175720080715