The exotic plant known in Cuba as marabu (Dichrostachys cinerea), formerly considered a pesky weed, is now being used to produce charcoal, and there are plans to increase production to 40,000 tons for export to Europe this year, official sources told Tierramérica. The marabu bush is a “magnificent” plant for producing charcoal in different forms and sizes, said Benito Migolla, a Ministry of Agriculture representative in the central Cuban province of Ciego de Ávila.

During a tour of different enterprises in the province, Migolla noted that while a plot of land is not being used for agriculture, it is preferable to leave it covered with marabu, because this prevents soil erosion and “it also serves as a green lung.”

“When marabu is cleared from a plot of land, fruit trees or other crops must be planted immediately,” he said. The plant began invading unproductive land in Cuba during the economic crisis of the 1990s.