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• 01 / 26 / 2010

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Cuban farmers that grow Guayabita del Pinar, a rare fruit from which a famous local rum is made, celebrated its 15th festival after recording an excellent harvest this past 2009.

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 remote areas in the mountains as a means to warm the people that lived around. It has two versions, one sweet and one dry, very popular among Cubans for its distinctive flavour.

Source: ACN