The sugar cane
Sugar cane, by its scientific nameSaccharum robustum, was introduced to the West Indies on Christopher Columbus's second voyage in 1493. He brought it back from Spain with the aim of planting it on the other side of the Atlantic. His first choice was the island of Hispaniola, now the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The attempt was aborted by the devastating gusts of a cyclone. The second initiative, in 1509, succeeded in producing the very first harvest, while at the same time encouraging an increase in cultivation. Given the favorable soil conditions, sugar cane spread from island to island, requiring free labor. What happened next? It would profoundly change the world, altering the way people looked at other people, who would be regarded as chattels, things to be sold. All this would radically transform relations with certain human beings, to the point of reviving slavery. In 1671, Martinique had 111 mills with 6,582 workers; in 1675, there were 172 mills.
The Galion factory
In the 18th century, Habitation Le Galion, created in 1862, belonged like the rest of the region to the Dubuc family. Through marriage, it passed into the hands of Mr. Bougenot. Today, it belongs to the Patrimoine Public, which wants to set up a bagasse-charbon unit that would supply nearly 20% of Martinique's electricity production.
In 1930, Martinique had 155 small distilleries. By 1934, there were 212. By 1941, the number had fallen to 112. By 1952, the number had dropped to 62. By 1960, there were just 27. As the numbers continued to decline, by 1962 Martinique was no longer self-sufficient, with banana replacing sugar cane. By 1978-1979, only 2 factories remained: the Galion, operating at 50% yield, and the Lareinty, at 35%. The surfaces were reconverted. The Lareinty, built by Émile Bougenot, closed in the early 1980s. Only the Galion factory continues to pass on its well-kept know-how, the art of producing sugar.
