2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIVE - Agriculture (§§ 1 — 4706) › Chapter 17 - Sugar (§§ 371 — 420g) › Subchapter IV - Program to Improve Sugar Industry (§§ 415 — 420g) › § 420a - Phases

In accordance with the provisions of § 420 of this title, the program shall consist of economic aid, technical aid, payment of incentives and subsidies, rendering of services and other measures to help the sugar industry to carry out the following phases, without it being construed as limiting the extent of the program:
(a) Renewal of plantings of sugarcane with varieties approved by the agricultural experiment station.
(b) Improvements in the farming of the ratoons of not more than four (4) years of age to increase its agricultural production.
(c) Adaptation, trial and purchase of machinery and equipment for the farming, cutting, harvesting and transportation of sugarcane.
(d) To provide machinery and equipment services at a reasonable cost to improve the preparation of the land, including the leveling and planing; redesign of parts; plowing of the subsoil, design, construction and maintenance of drainage systems within the farms; application of corrections and any other practice that in the judgment of the Secretary may redound in benefits of a good preparation of the land. Also economical aid may be offered to the farmers who carry out the practices.
(e) Development of new techniques in the farming, cutting and harvesting and transportation of sugarcane. For these purposes the Department of Agriculture may establish pilot farms where the most advanced techniques in the production of sugar are used or tried out. The Department of Agriculture is hereby empowered to operate these pilot farms by itself, or to contract for the operation of these farms with other agricultural agencies, with individual farmers or with private agricultural entities.
(f) To carry out those studies of a technical or economic nature necessary to increase the efficiency of the industry or to evaluate the resources of the program. In the introduction of these provisions the Department of Agriculture may use the facilities of other agricultural agencies.
(g) Contributions to the sugarcane mills carrying out improvements tending to increase its manufacturing efficiency, including transportation of cane and sugar and receiving systems for the sugarcane.
(h) To promote through economic aid, the supplementary irrigation systems.
(i) If convenient, incentives may be granted to the sugarcane growers on the basis of production.
(j) Construction of drainage systems or improvements to those existing on lands suitable for the farming of sugarcane. The Department of Agriculture may, through itself, or through the contracting with public or private entities undertake the necessary works for attaining this objective.
(k) Control of plagues and diseases on the sugarcane plantations.
(l) To offer economic aid during the years 1970 and 1971, to every sugarcane grower who cultivates three hundred (300) cuerdas or less of sugarcane, equivalent to the payment of ninety cents (90¢) per quintal of cane sugar produced during those years; Provided, That no grower shall receive an economic aid over three thousand dollars ($3,000) during any of the years covered by this subsection.
History —Dec. 6, 1966, No. 1, p. 3, § 2; June 25, 1969, No. 69, p. 212, § 1; May 13, 1970, No. 25, p. 55, § 1, eff. July 1, 1970.