The Cuban government has apparently pledged to invest between US$150m and US$200m in the country’s citrus industry as part of administration’s agricultural reform which aims to reduce import dependency.
Despite the spread of citrus disease Huanglongbing (HLB), the investment project will be based on an intensive agriculture model (higher yields per hectare and the development of new plantings), Fruit Business Group (GEF) technical director Luis Alberto Torres told media agency AFP.
Preparation for the project began in 2008; including the introduction of more pest-resistant crops, intercropping with different fruits and increased grower support, according to Mr Torres.
With more than 112,000ha of citrus groves, in 1990 Cuba exported a record 1m tonnes of oranges and grapefruit to the Soviet Union and eastern Europe, AFP said.
However, with the break-up of the USSR in 1991, Cuba lost a major stable market.
In the last two decades, Cuban citrus exports have fallen by 80 per cent, the report said.
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