Por Ventura de Jésus 
Mario Muñoz has been in serious trouble since the very start of the harvest. Between the breakage of the manufacturing machines, the inconveniences caused by the high volumes of burned cane, technological problems and the lack of parts, the Matanzas mill has barely been able to grind.
Since the initial whistle, at the end of last December, the mill, one of the two active in the province, has accumulated just over 8,000 tons of sugar.
He owes the plan double what has been produced to date. Even in the midst of this unfavorable scenario, the group does not renounce to fulfill the commitment of 25,800 tons, of which 15,000 of refining destined for the regulated family basket.
«Despite the delay, if we manage to grind with stability in the remainder of March and April, we can reach the goal set.»
That’s what the young Yandy Levis Suárez Cárdenas, deputy director of the entity, believes. «We have cane, which is the fundamental thing,» he says optimistically.
Without being what is said to be the core of the breach, there is another phenomenon that affects the good pace of the colossus, and it comes to be like a nail in the shoe.
It is the theft of sugar, a topic that captures the attention and most of the time of the managers of the mill. Such is the magnitude of the problem, that in the course of the campaign a total of 35 workers have been separated from their job for said crime.
And the saddest thing, says Jorge Santana Hernández, director of the Arab colossus with some anguish, is that 16 of them worked in qualified positions, say puntistas, stevedores, evaporation area operators, some with 15 and 20 years at the plant.
In other words, specialists who are not trained overnight, he lamented. «This issue of theft of sugar doesn’t let us work, we spend more time chasing the thieves than in the industry’s own issues,» explains the experienced sugar worker, who has worked in 13 mills in various provinces.
He says that before, in previous years, the looters used to strike at night. It was apparently the most appropriate time to steal sugar, but in this harvest they changed the way they proceed: they do it at any time of the day, and they take advantage of shift changes above all.
“They generally come in groups, hooded and with bladed weapons, and they manage to steal dozens and even hundreds of bags daily, despite the fact that we have strengthened surveillance,” says Santana Hernández.
He states that on many occasions these antisocial elements commit the crime in collusion with some workers, who simply neither confront them nor alert the administration.
“We have interrupted many operations and salvaged considerable quantities of the product. In the end, however, they watch over us and at the slightest carelessness they enter the center. Countless times they have chipped the mesh and opened holes in the masonry fence.»
In his opinion, the moment the mill stops grinding for whatever reason favors the actions of the bandits.
He reflects that «while many sugar producers spend their time innovating, adapting parts and doing wonders day and night to make this work, we must dedicate energy to face this complex situation.»
And he remarks: «This fight is every day, and the first trial to condemn the bandits has not yet been held. There are workers who have left us due to threats; I didn’t see anything like that in any of the other centers I’ve been to. This does as much damage as the technological inconveniences we have suffered since the beginning of the harvest.»
The main fight must be given inside. He admitted that in recent days the trend is towards a decrease in robberies, with less stalking from abroad, given a more rigorous confrontation and greater support from law enforcement officers.
«That’s true, but a few days ago they knocked down a wall to get into the sugar mill and they threw stones at the custodians. In one of my guards I caught several of them robbing. This is a sign that the criminals do not cease in their efforts, “he insisted.
It also states that the measures against criminals are very mild. «We catch them red-handed, hand them over to the Police and the next day they are back at the plant; they don’t even feel sorry for it. You have to prove to me that I was stealing, they tell you.»
Maikel Cárdenas, head of the brigade in the waste area, and Juan Carlos Pérez Chávez, a storekeeper, also agree on the need to put a strong hand against offenders. They have even thrown stones at me during dead time, when the siege of the store is tremendous, Pérez Chávez recounts as he points to a corner of the establishment where he can see some 200 sacks of sugar that have been seized from rustlers.
Santana Hernández is aware that in this fight against sugar theft, the workers and other employees are a key player, and that the main fight is from within. He admits that the thefts reduce the efficiency of the harvest, make the atmosphere in the bus difficult and have been one of the great nightmares of the plant, although he is confident that this problem will be solved.
«This is the town’s sugar and no one has the right to steal it.»
Apparently this evil is already a habit, people got used to stealing and even see it as something normal, more than one admits. For Domingo Charón, who has worked as a custodian at the mill for eight years, surveillance is still insufficient.
What is happening here is a lack of control, of greater security inside the plant. On the other hand, I think that more support is needed from everyone and greater action by the Police, which should look for other variants, such as the permanent presence of its personnel here.
It is true that some workers take their little bit of sugar home, but the fat belongs to the people on the street. We all agree that it is necessary to take care of crude oil, for ourselves and for the good of the family.»
Not everyone is willing to stand guard, says Lázaro Olivera Pérez, head of security and protection. They are afraid of the siege and threats, he says. Apparently it is the reason why at the moment, out of a staff of 27 custodians, they only have 15.
And there is another thing, he comments, and that is that the salaries are very low, less than 3,000 pesos, when a sack of sugar on the street is in the order of 10,000 pesos and more. The competition is great, and that also influences.»
But make one thing clear. «The problem is not blaming the outsiders, in this roll the main course is the workers, if they want the theft ends.»
Mayra Chávez Chávez, secretary of the Union Bureau, and Eluminado Rosales Pérez, secretary of the Party Committee, agree with this assessment. The real harvest at Mario Muñoz is being done by sugar thieves, said the union leader.
There is not a single meeting in which the 68 militants of the industry do not address this issue, but the truth is that there is a need for a greater confrontation and for the vanguard to lead the battle against sugar theft in a more visible way, Rosales Pérez judged.
fortified sugar
With the purpose of counteracting these criminal acts, which are also manifested to a lesser extent in Jesús Rabí, in the municipality of Calimete, several measures have been adopted in the central Arabense with the leadership council, experienced workers and political organizations as protagonists.
These actions basically include the construction of a perimeter fence of greater security, with the use of steel plates up to 12 millimeters thick and a height of almost five meters, as well as the inclusion of concrete slabs in other sections.
«It has to be a strong fence to prevent access,» say the sugar growers.
The plan also includes a better arrangement of the different areas to restrict free movement between them without affecting the production flow, as well as the cleaning of the exterior areas, a better selection of the personnel that works in the mill and the completion of the protection and security.
The best remedy
Mario Muñoz is the main sugar colossus in the province, and one of the most important labor venues in the Matanzas municipality of Los Arabos. A brief tour of the areas of this mill allows us to appreciate a certain atmosphere of tension, and even guilt.
It is perceptible in the face of not a few workers and operators. Everyone senses why the reporters are visiting. It is clear, however, that in order to consolidate the course of the harvest in Mario Muñoz and in the province, it is essential to put an end to this scourge of the theft of crude oil in order to concentrate entirely on the manufacture of sugar.
Clearly it is also another unavoidable condition for the people of Matanzas to fulfill their plan in this campaign, a goal unattainable in more than ten years.
And to achieve this, as is already known from experience, in addition to the strengthened fences and other actions, it is necessary, above all, more control, order and discipline.
Ensuring that this is the case, so that the sugar growers do the harvest and not the bandits, is the primary responsibility of the managers of the sector, as well as the political leadership and the government authorities of the territory. (ALH)
Translated by Casterman Medina de Leon