Sugar and the Cuban Economy

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of developments in the sugar industry of revolutionary Cuba, the role sugar plays within the national economy, and prospects to the end of the century. It is not intended to discuss exhaustively any of these topics, but rather to motivate in-depth research and discussion in other fora. The paper is divided into four sections. The first section surveys reolutionary Cuba's development strategies and the place reserved for sugar within them. The second section summarizes the results of research I have conducted on structural change in Cuba and the role of the sugar industry. This is followed by a brief analysis of the challenges faced by the sugar industry - and the Cuban economy at large - as a result of the current and impending changes in the terms and conditions of trade with the Soviet Union and the (formerly) socialist nations. The last section speculates on the prospects of the sugar industry in the 1990s.