Domestic production of potatoes is during the winter, with plantings of red varieties in October and November and white varieties as late as January and February. The principal harvest is therefore in winter and spring. During this period from November to June, imports of potatoes into Cuba are subject to a duty of $1.81 per hundred pounds, or, because of the 20-percent preference, $1.45 to the United States. During the off season for domestic production, that is, July to October, the import duty is reduced to 91 cents per hundred pounds, or, because of the 50-percent preference, 45%1⁄2 cents to the United States. Imports for food are almost entirely during this summer, reduced-duty period.

FIGURE 34.-Yuca is used both for food like potatoes and for the manufacture of cassava or tapioca starch.

Yuca, an important root crop, is grown both for food like potatoes and for the manufacture of cassava or tapioca starch. The stalks of the yuca plant above ground are slender, with numerous branches and leaves at the top. It grows to a height of from 5 to 10 feet. The roots, or tubers, are similar in shape to long sweetpotatoes, but are usually much larger (fig. 34). Two distinctly different kinds of yuca are grown, one for cooking and one for starch. The total acreage in

all kinds of yuca is estimated at between 50,000 and 60,000 acres, of which about 90 percent is of the sweet, or cooking, kind and roughly 10 percent is of the kind used for starch.

The small sweet, or white, kind contains very little hydrocyanic acid and is commonly used for eating. When cooked it consists of long, white pieces of almost pure starch. The roots are smaller and the yields lower, probably from 3,000 to 5,000 pounds per acre. It matures earlier, in from 10 to 12 months. The importance of yuca as food is indicated by the fact that human consumption is estimated at 360 million pounds, compared with only 150 million pounds of potatoes and 340 million pounds of sweetpotatoes.

The large bitter, or black, yuca used for the manufacture of starch has a higher hydrocyanic acid content, matures later, in from 15 to 18 months, and produces higher yields. Yields vary from 6,000 to 20,000 pounds per acre and probably average about 8,000 pounds. Yuca grows best on sandy, or loose, well-drained soil. It is commonly planted in rows about 3 or 4 feet apart at the beginning of the wet summer season in June. The kinds used for starch require about 18 months to mature and are ready for harvest during the dry winter season from November to April, when the tubers are gathered and hauled to the local starch factory. Prices received by growers for the roots vary widely from 25 to as high as 60 cents per hundred pounds and over a period of years probably average from 30 to 40 cents.

It is reported that there are between 30 and 50 small yuca starch factories in Cuba, but not all of these are in operation. These factories are of the old type and produce a relatively low-grade starch used almost entirely in Cuba. Due to the limited harvesting season and the fact that yuca cannot be stored after harvest, factories can operate only during the winter. Total starch production in Cuba is estimated at about 5 million pounds annually, although the actual plant capacity is considerably in excess of this figure.

The process of manufacturing starch consists of washing the roots and removing the brown outer skin, then grinding the roots into pulp and washing the starch out with water. The resulting fluid is allowed to settle in large tanks, the water is drained off, and the wet starch is shoveled onto trays to be dried in the sun, after which it is pulverized and bagged. Starch yields vary from 25 to 28 percent of the weight of the yuca. Prices vary widely, from $1.50 for the relatively lowgrade starch for domestic consumption to nearly $5 per hundred pounds.

As early as December 1930 a law was passed providing for the compulsory addition of a specified percentage of yuca starch or flour in all bread and crackers made in Cuba. This requirement became effective in July 1932 but its operation proved to be unsatisfactory and it was abandoned. More recently there has been renewed interest in the manufacture of higher grade starch for export to the United States. It is believed that introduction of improved, higher yielding varieties of yuca and improvement in the manufacturing process would permit the economical preparation of a higher grade starch capable of competing on the United States market with the large quantities of yuca or cassava starch imported from the Far East. For a number of years Cuba has exported from 100,000 to 400,000 pounds of starch to the United States, but in 1940 exports

increased to nearly 1 million pounds, with a value of approximately $25,000.

MALANGA

Malanga is also an important food crop in Cuba, with an area of 50,000 to 60,000 acres and a total consumption estimated at 300 million pounds annually. Malanga is a corm or bulblike plant, known in the United States as the ornamental elephant's-ear. It has

very large leaves borne on stems sprouting directly from the bulb or crown (fig. 35). In Cuba it is planted in gardens and fields, and, when mature, the bulbs are harvested and cooked like potatoes. The flesh is white when cooked, sometimes with a purplish border; and, like potatoes and yuca, it contains a very high proportion of starch.

VEGETABLE OILS

Until the last several years Cuba produced very little of its requirements of vegetable oil. Imports during the 5 years 1936-40 averaged 47 million pounds annually in addition to large imports of lard and

some other animal fats. Olive oil for cooking was the most important imported vegetable oil for many years until the war in Spain reduced the supply and forced substitution. This also encouraged domestic production.

Vegetable-oil production in Cuba has had an interesting development. As early as 1927 experimental production of sunflower seed for oil was begun, and by 1933 its production had reached 5.5 million pounds of oil. However, from 1934 to 1937 the domestic industry was practically stopped as a result of heavy imports of cheaper oil from Japan under a reduced import duty. In 1937 the import duty that had worked to Japan's advantage was increased, and domestic production started again but this time it was from peanuts rather than sunflower seeds.

Peanut-oil production increased rapidly from 1.2 million pounds in 1937 to between 10 and 15 million pounds in 1940 and 1941, having a value well in excess of 1 million dollars in the latter year. Plantings in 1940 were estimated at about 65,000 to 80,000 acres, with a production of 40 to 65 million pounds of peanuts. Peanuts are usually planted in April or May and harvested about 95 days later. Yields average 800 pounds per acre. The farm price is usually about $2.10 to $2.25 per hundred pounds, f. o. b. railway, but in April 1942 the price was fixed at $3.40 when delivered to the railway in quantities of not less than 30,000 pounds. Peanut-oil production in 1941 was equal to nearly 30 percent of Cuba's total vegetable-oil requirements. It will probably continue to increase and to replace more of the imported edible oils, but will probably not be able to replace certain of the inedible oils used for special purposes. Other potential sources of edible vegetable oil are soybeans and the African oil palm, although there is no commercial production of either at the present time.

Certain varieties of castor-beans appear to grow wild in Cuba, but these have no commercial value. Other varieties have been grown commercially on a small scale for several years, but the industry is still in an experimental stage. Present plantings in Cuba are variously estimated at from 500 to 1,000 acres. Only a small part is regularly harvested. Marketing facilities are poor, and consequently the growers have not been assured of an outlet for their crop at a reasonable price. The large white variety is most commonly grown (fig. 36). The crop is usually ready for harvest in 6 to 9 months after planting and again every 3 months thereafter for several years without replanting. There are no exact data as to yields, which are reported to vary widely and average nearly 1 ton per acre annually.

Nearly all of Cuba's castor-oil requirements, averaging about 350,000 pounds annually with a value of about $25,000, are imported. The oil is used largely for lubrication in the sugar mills, for the manufacture of paints, and for medicinal purposes. Since 1937 a castor-bean crushing factory has been in operation sporadically, but this plant supplies only a small part of Cuba's requirements. With further experimentation in castor-bean production, the establishment of permanent marketing channels, and improvement in facilities for crushing, Cuba would at least be able to supply all of its domestic requirements of castor oil. This would require possibly 350 acres of castor-beans having a 50-percent oil content.

Production of castor-beans might be developed on an export basis, but this development would depend upon improvement in production

A, Castor-oil

FIGURE 36. Some castor-beans are grown on a commercial scale. plant; B, spiny capsules of the castor-bean; C, mature capsules and castorbeans.

and marketing and more especially upon whether the beans can be grown profitably at prices that normally prevail on the export market. The United States requires large quantities of castor-beans. Imports averaging 170 million pounds in the 5 years 1936-40 have been almost entirely from Brazil. The average price of castor-beans delivered in New York (exclusive of duty) during the past 5 years varied from 1.45 cents to 2.5 cents per pound, or an average of about $46 per long ton.52

52 At one time in 1940, because of war conditions, New York prices rose to 4.5 cents a pound, and during the first half of 1942 were 4.5 cents.