Barahona Sugar Industry

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cielita

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Hello,

Can anyone help me with some info about the sugar industry in Barahona? Is sugar still in production there? I know it's supposed to be the centre of sugar production but I understand the sugar mill there was closed down. When was that? I imagine that would mean sugar was no longer being produced there, or on a much smaller scale. If so, would it be accurate to say that coffee has overtaken sugar?

Thanks for any info you can give me.
 
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Chirimoya

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I think the ingenio is still working and sugar is cultivated in the area, but I may be wrong. Coffee is another important crop, yes.
 
Hillbilly

Hillbilly

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There was a note in the paper that said that a train wrech cost the mill millions in lost cane. So, yes, it is still operating.
Barahona is NOT the center for sugar production. Do not confuse Central Azucarera with being the center for sugar production. That is either San Pedro or La Romana.

HB
 
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cielita

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I guess it would be OK, then, to say that agriculture is important in Barahona and that sugar cane and coffee are the main crops. Thanks a lot.
 
Hillbilly

Hillbilly

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Yes, that would be better. Agriculture: Sugar, coffee in the hills and plantains. Don't forget the plantains.

HB
 
Hillbilly

Hillbilly

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Plantains = 'platanos': the large (in the case of Barahona (very large) banana-like fruit that is eaten green, semi-ripe, and very ripe by Dominicans. It is fried, boiled, broiled, cooked in butter and brown sugar-in other words, it is eaten morning, noon and night...

HB
 
AlterEgo

AlterEgo

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Barahona Platanos

Hillbilly said:
Plantains = 'platanos': the large (in the case of Barahona (very large) banana-like fruit that is eaten green, semi-ripe, and very ripe by Dominicans. It is fried, boiled, broiled, cooked in butter and brown sugar-in other words, it is eaten morning, noon and night...

HB
Click to expand...

Mangu, Tostones, Mofongo, Maduros, oh YUM

HB, are you saying that the platanos in Barahona are larger than average? Why is that? The variety grown there? The soil? Inquiring minds, and all that.....
 
Hillbilly

Hillbilly

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They were the first irrigated plantain farms. Later on, in Mao and the Northwest Line, the did the same after bananas went bust...
There is also the variety to consider. Most plantains in Barahona are of the "Macho" variety--not that many but really big.
In the Northwest Line, they favor macho por hembra variety which give more fruit per stem...

they are significantly larger, that is for sure...

HB
 
cobraboy

cobraboy

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Also some very special, sweet mangos from the area, smaller than most but excellent.
 
AlterEgo

AlterEgo

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We were very surprised at the price of platanos, mangos, avocados etc when we were in DR in late March. Almost impossible to find a decent avocado in DR, yet they are plentiful here in NJ [and they are from DR - from Cambita and Ocoa mostly]. Are they exporting entire crops?

Platanos were high, even at the 30 de Mayo market, we wondered how the poor people are existing. We paid 30 pesos each for mangos at a fruit stand in Las Terranas. We did get a great price on fresh yuca at a road stand around Sanchez.

But one day a truck came through Najayo Beach selling platanos to the residents, we were just leaving to return to the capital and I asked the price more out of curiousity than anything else - 5 pesos each, and they were nice and big. We brought a bunch of them back to SD.

Along the road between Palenque & Najayo Beach, near Docimen Cement Factory, are many small farm stands with the most amazing prices and you can't get fresher than just picked 100 feet away.
 
frank recktenwald

frank recktenwald

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AlterEgo said:
We were very surprised at the price of platanos, mangos, avocados etc when we were in DR in late March. Almost impossible to find a decent avocado in DR, yet they are plentiful here in NJ [and they are from DR - from Cambita and Ocoa mostly]. Are they exporting entire crops?

Platanos were high, even at the 30 de Mayo market, we wondered how the poor people are existing. We paid 30 pesos each for mangos at a fruit stand in Las Terranas. We did get a great price on fresh yuca at a road stand around Sanchez.

But one day a truck came through Najayo Beach selling platanos to the residents, we were just leaving to return to the capital and I asked the price more out of curiousity than anything else - 5 pesos each, and they were nice and big. We brought a bunch of them back to SD.

Along the road between Palenque & Najayo Beach, near Docimen Cement Factory, are many small farm stands with the most amazing prices and you can't get fresher than just picked 100 feet away.
Click to expand...

The best produce is always exported therefore the locals are stuck with the B choice;)
 
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