The
forecast for 2009 was to harvest 6,890 pounds of the guava-like tiny
fruit, but the outcome surpassed the 10,000 pounds, one of the four
largest productions in the last 30 years, according to reports
issued by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Martin Acosta, the most remarkable grower in Viñales, in westernmost
Pinar del rio
province, explained to ACN news agency that when he started this
crop he used to harvest some 20 to 30 pounds in a 7.5 acre estate,
while after developing the right skills and thanks to a careful
tending of the plants, he managed to pick 1,362 pounds of the rare
fruit.
Experts from the Ministry of Agriculture pointed out that despite
the good results there is still a lot of potential since not all
crops have received the proper treatment, a must-do in order to
increase production.
Guayabita del Pinar is an endemic bush from western Cuba that grows
in the mountain ranges and in conservation plantations which try to
avoid the extinction of this rare plant which produces the fruit.
The liquor that goes by the same name first saw the light, according
to the Cuban oral tradition in the 19th century in faraway areas in
the mountains as a means to warm the people that lived around. It
has two versions, one sweet and one extrasec, very popular among
Cubans for its distinctive flavor.
