According to an internal report prepared by its own Statistics Department, the State Sugar Council (CEA) has been a spectacular economic failure in its 34 years of existence. The report, leaked to the news daily El Siglo, shows that out of 33 sugar harvests since the CEA was created in 1965, only 11 have shown a profit for the CEA, and all of these marginal. The last time the CEA had a profitable harvest was 1983-84. Over the years the gains have only amounted to RD$204.4 million, while the losses amassed have reached RD$5.2099 billion. Put another way, the gains have only been 4.6% of the losses. It is not hard to see why: last year, for example, the production costs were RD$4.98 per pound of sugar produced, but the sales price was RD$2.98. CEA lost RD$180 million last year alone, and is expected to lose more in the 1998-99 harvest.
