Sugar Cane Harvest Advances in Southern Quintana Roo, but Producers Face Complex Outlook

Chetumal, Quintana Roo — Sugar cane producers in the Ribera del Río Hondo region report that the harvest is progressing well, with 500,000 tons of cane already milled, representing 48% of the estimated target for the current cutting season. However, the agroindustry continues to face a complicated situation due to falling sugar prices and a lack of exports to the United States.

Benjamín Gutiérrez Reyes, president of the National Confederation of Rural Producers (CNPR), explained that the sector is suffering from a drop in the price per ton of sugar and the absence of U.S. exports, which is preventing recovery. He cited an oversupply and a collapse in the product’s value, arguing that the federal government should provide more support to cane growers.

“We have a KARBE of 100, unlike last year, because everyone involved in the harvest is doing things better, but what hurts us is the price. Today, the United States doesn’t buy a single kilo of sugar from us, and that’s worse. It’s important to check that part because it doesn’t help us, and I think the federal government and the economy secretary need to step up to defend that area, support the sector, and promote more consumption of cane sugar, which is a natural product, rather than choosing high-fructose corn syrup,” Gutiérrez said.

He noted that, compared to last year, they have seen an increase in the Kilogram of Recoverable Standard Base Sugar (KARBE), reaching 100 points—a rise of 14 kilograms from the previous harvest. This improvement results from enhanced agricultural practices and crop quality, including efforts to maintain cane freshness and achieve higher sucrose levels.

“The results are visible, and it’s all thanks to the effort made during the current harvest. It’s a team effort between producers and the mill; we’ve been applying various strategies to improve and continue in that same direction,” Gutiérrez added.

During the current harvest cycle, producers plan to deliver 1.15 million tons to the San Rafael de Pucté mill. While expectations for meeting this goal are positive, Gutiérrez emphasized that they must wait until the field activity concludes to determine if they can achieve profits that allow them to pay off debts and retain earnings, avoiding the multi-million dollar losses recorded in the previous period.

Nevertheless, the cane leader insisted that the federal government must provide greater support to the agricultural sector, particularly due to the difficulties in product trade.