Cuba’s sugar industry was the backbone of the island’s economy since Spanish colonial times up through 1989, when the country became the world’s largest sugar exporter. Production started plummeting in the 1990s. Cuba’s sugar industry has declined to the point that Cuba now imports sugar to meet local needs.

Luis Chirino reports from Havana.

For more, check out our exclusive content on CGTN Now and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The China Report.