RUM IS BAD

[Jason Perlow]

http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/americas/12/...o.ap/index.html

[Kristian]

Well, given the context, I'm not surprised by Castro's words. And he is right about what he is saying. There are plenty of people who have problems with alcohol in the world (and in Cuba, alcohol = rum).

Still, increasing the price is not going to lessen the consumption (as witnessed by student parties etc. in Finland), but it does bring a nice amount of tax euros/dollars/currency to the government's gold chest.

[Jason Perlow]

my understanding is he made this announcement because the cuban sugar industry is falling apart and its becoming too expensive for them to make rum. So they might have to start rationing for domestic consumption and raise the price for export.

[Ed Hamilton]

It is a well known fact that the sugar industry if failing in almost every island. Land is too expensive, labor getting more expensive and to be efficient the machinery needs to be replaced. In most countries sugar production is subsidized by the US or the EU. In Guyana, for example, there has historically been a flood of cheap labor from other countries in the region, something that is more difficult when you are dealing with an island.

Every English island with the exception of St Kitts imports molasses to make rum. The French islands make sugar, subsidized by France, and rhum from the subsidized sugar cane that is grown for that purpose.

Castro's comments, if related to the sugar industry, are another sign of the times. But it does follow him putting down his cigar and getting older and trying to undo the excesses of one's youth. But I can hardly be in favor of higher prices for Cuban rum.