Cuba plans to nearly triple raw sugar output in the future from this year's 1.1 million to 1.2 million tonnes, official news agency AIN said Thursday.
"The Sugar Ministry is working to increase cane planting by 30 percent with the goal of sugar production reaching 3 million tonnes," AIN reported.
Cuba also plans to increase ethanol production for domestic use and export.
Output was expected to increase to around 1.5 million tonnes in 2007, with a big jump in 2008 as new cane comes on line.
Planting got off to a slow start this year as drought persisted across much of the country, but has picked up in recent weeks due to above-average rainfall.
Production Director Eglis Greck Rodriguez said in May he expected a 15 percent increase in sugar cane for the 2007 January to May harvest due to increased sowing (100,000 hectares) and increased use of fertiliser and pesticides, improved irrigation and other measures.
Mills will double what they pay for cane starting in 2007, according to ministry sources.
AIN said low sugar prices had lead to the dismantling of 71 of 156 state-run mills in 2003, while another 43 mills were closed, though preserved, last year and output plans reduced to 1.5 million tonnes.
AIN said this year's increase in sugar and ethanol prices and the good perspective for the future had led to the decision to revitalise the industry.
"Our country has begun an accelerated drive to increase alcohol production, modernising existing distilleries and installing new ones to increase by five times installed capacity," Luis Galvez, director of the sugar ministry's Sugar Cane Derivatives Research Institute, said earlier this week.
Galvez, opening an international conference on the production and uses of ethanol, said high oil prices and increased demand for ethanol had created "perhaps the most promising moment ever" for the sugar industry.
Galvez said Cuba's annual output was just 1 million hectoliters, though installed capacity was far greater.