Alcides López Labrada, who leads the Cítricos Ceiba Company, made a bold statement on the television program Mesa Redonda this week, asserting that discussing agriculture in Cuba is impossible without mentioning Fidel Castro.
With passionate reverence, the agricultural leader spoke of the deceased dictator: "For Cuban agricultural workers, Fidel is in our minds, our hearts, our souls. Fidel's influence on the sector's workers is profound, leaving indelible marks."
López Labrada further claimed that nearly every agricultural enterprise, cooperative, or community had been visited by Castro: "Fidel was everywhere, engaging with people, getting his boots muddy."
Journalist José Raúl Gallego responded sarcastically on social media, agreeing with the official for entirely different reasons: "You can't discuss how Cuba transformed from a sugar powerhouse and productive nation to barren land dependent on importing over 80% of its food without mentioning the main architect of this downfall: Fidel Castro Ruz."
These comments arise amid one of the island's most severe agricultural crises. From 2018 to 2023, pork production plummeted by 95%, rice by 87%, beans by 70%, and milk by 58%, according to official figures. The 2024-2025 sugar harvest yielded less than 150,000 metric tons, a figure reminiscent of the year 1899.
Fidel Castro's Agricultural Blunders
The "Zafra de los Diez Millones" (1970) stands as the most notorious failure of the dictator's agrarian policies. Castro set an ambitious goal of producing 10 million tons of sugar, rallying the entire nation and diverting resources from every sector of the economy.
The final output was around 8.5 million tons, leading to the destruction of thousands of hectares of valuable timberland. In 2002, Castro's "Tarea Álvaro Reynoso" initiative shut down 71 of Cuba's 156 sugar mills, hastening the collapse of the sugar industry.
The "Cordón de La Habana" (1968) was yet another top-down disaster. Castro's plan to encircle the capital with Caturra coffee plantations failed due to unsuitable soil and a lack of technical planning, despite planting over 39 million plants.
The cattle plan, featuring the cow Ubre Blanca, rounds out the infamous trio of failures. Castro promised eight million cows and 30 million liters of milk daily by 1970.
Ubre Blanca was showcased in 1981 as a world record holder, producing 89.9 liters of milk in a single day, guarded by security forces. However, the genetic experiment ended as one of the Revolution's significant failures, with Cuba losing over 900,000 head of cattle since 2019.
It's not the first time regime officials have credited the dictator with achievements in the food sector. In October 2023, the Ministry of the Food Industry claimed that "thanks to Fidel Castro's vision, we have a Food Industry with sufficient capacity," a statement that sparked widespread outrage among Cubans.
Understanding Cuba's Agricultural Decline
What was the "Zafra de los Diez Millones" and why did it fail?
The "Zafra de los Diez Millones" was an ambitious initiative by Fidel Castro in 1970 to produce 10 million tons of sugar. It failed because the output was only around 8.5 million tons, leading to significant environmental damage and economic disruption.
How did the "Cordón de La Habana" project contribute to Cuba's agricultural problems?
The "Cordón de La Habana" project aimed to make Havana self-sufficient in coffee production but failed due to inadequate soils and poor planning, exemplifying the top-down mismanagement that contributed to Cuba's agricultural struggles.