MEXICO CITY, Apr 3: Cuban President Fidel Castro called for "a maximum effort" to reach this year's crucial sugar production goal In remarks published Monday on the island. reports AP.

Cuban officials say they expect to produce 4.5 million metric tons this year, a jump of 1.2 million from last year's disastrous harvest — one of the worst of the century.

Traditionally the world's most prolific sugar exporter. Cuba often has produced 6 million metric tons or more.

Recovery of sugar output is Important to an economy still struggling to overcome the collapse of Cuba's socialist trading partners in the early 1990s and a reinforced US trade embargo.

The Cuban government's Prensa Latina news agency quoted Castro as urging "a maximum effort to meet the sugar production plan in response to the reinforcement of the aggressive policies of the US government."

Uis remarks, made Sunday at a sugar processing plant in Las tunas province, appeared Monday in Trabajadores. the

weekly newspaper of the Communist Party Labour Union. whose account was reported by Prensa Latina.

The Cuban leader con firmed earlier reports that Cuba expects to match last year's total output by Thursday The harvest, which began in

late December, is expected to continued into early May.

The Cuban goal of 4.5 million metric tons "looks to me like it's possible," said Ed Missaen. a sugar expert for the US Department of Agriculture in Washington, though he added, "it certainly is not a given."

The USDA has projected Cuban output at 4 million metric tons, "based on the information we had at the mid die of last month." Missaen said. "Given the information we have now. there is a real possibility that Cuba could exceed that number."

Cuba has gambled on at least a moderate increase in sugar output, and other goods to kick the' industry back into growth.

It also transformed most of its sugar farms into coopera fives instead of state farms, giving workers Incentive# for greater output.

The crumbling of the Soviet Block removed Cuba's supply of fertilizers and parts for the sugar harvest, causing steep drops in output. The problem was exacerbated by extended cutting campaigns.