SANTO DOMINGO, RD— Since the 1970s, there has been talk in the country about the convenience of mechanizing agricultural work, particularly in the sugar industry.
In the late 19th century, the sugar sector started making technological improvements. Important innovations were implemented in the cutting and plucking of sugar cane, marking the beginning of modernity in the sugar industry in the Dominican Republic.
According to Jimmy García Saviñón, former director of the Dominican Sugar Institute (IAD), it wasn’t until the 1970s when mechanization began in the State Sugar Council (CEA). The process included leveling land, clearing, and planting.
Saviñón points out that the CEA’s quadrangular plantation system made mechanized agriculture difficult, unlike the rectangular system which favors it.
By 1970, there were 15 sugar mills in the Dominican Republic. The Catarey and Esperanza, Santa Fe and Río Haina state mills closed in the 1980s, and the ten remaining state mills closed between 1999 and 2000 due to the capitalization process.
Currently, there are four sugar mills operating in the country: Central Romana, Cristóbal Colón, Barahona, and Ingenio Futuro.
Mechanization is beneficial in agricultural production as it reduces extensive processes to more effective and simple ones. It complements the use of labor, unlike automation, which eliminates human participation.
There are two successful cases of mechanization in the cutting and uprooting of sugar cane in the Corporación Central Romana, Ltd. (CR) and the Consorcio Azucarero De Empresas Industriales (CAEI).
Central Romana began the process of mechanization in 1990, automating 50% of cane production and reducing the need for foreign labor. According to their website, the goal is to automate around 75% of the currently cultivated area.
CAEI also combines mechanized cutting with labor. They use modern lifters and harvesters, ensuring safety, punctuality, and minimal environmental impact.
A qualified opinion from Saviñón explains that machines can harvest 200 tons of sugar cane, while a worker can only harvest a maximum of seven tons. The presence of foreign labor in the sugar mills is minimal, and Saviñón believes that the mechanization process of the sugar industry in the Dominican Republic could be completed in three to four years.
President Luis Abinader announced a mechanization program in the construction sector to reduce the hiring of foreign labor. The program is funded by the Development and Export Bank (Bandex).
The construction sector, represented by Acoprovi, welcomed the financing of construction mechanization and supports the use of machinery to modernize the workforce and improve efficiency.
The Government of China donated 43 machines and equipment to the Ministry of Agriculture, aiming to modernize agriculture in the country. China and the Dominican Republic have discussed the mechanization and digitalization of agriculture as part of their friendly relations.