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Tuesday 29 augusT 2023 LOCAL
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The Aloe industry of Aruba

ORANJESTAD— Aloe led a transported in small lidded
thriving existence on our casks, strapped on donkeys
island where it was intro- in pairs, to the boiling -pots,
duced around 1840; lime- to be reduced by evapo-
stone soil and dry weather ration. This reducing of the
were the best conditions for sap to resin took place in
aloe to thrive. Of the 500+ open brass pots of about
species, only a few were 200 liters content. The thick
used traditionally as herbal liquid was subsequently
medicines, Aloe Vera be- ladled into oil-boxes where
ing the most commonly it cooled off and coagu-
used species. lated into a mass which
contracted to a consider-
1 Aloe barbadensis with able degree. Such a box
its’s yellow flowers @ Etnia contained 57.5 kilos of res-
Nativa garden in. Sometimes the resin was
The Aruba aloe also known poured into calabashes, in
as ‘barbaloin’, has an aloin which packing slightly high- the Cape: 31 to 36 shillings juice to work it up at fac-

content of 22 percent bit- er prices could be made. for the island grades, 29 tory in 1949. This aloin is 4- Aloe Art by recycled

ter, yellow-brown colored Today modern aloe prod- to 32 shillings for the Cape shipped direct from Aruba plastic by Etnia Nativa
compound noted in the ucts are made locally. ones. to the United States, export To get to know more about
exudate of at least 68 Aloe As a source of income at to England. Aruba and its origins, its
species, whereas the con- 3 Old times of aloe recol- any rate the aloe was im- Under the supervision of an animals and culture, we
tent of the aloe elsewhere lection portant enough for the expert, the American Irving highly recommend you to
in the world is supposed to Mr. Laurens Oduber was parish-priest of Sabaneta D. Cantor, about six men book your visit for our re-
average 15 percent at the once one of the main ex- to keep a field as 1916 "in are at work in this industry, nowned cultural encounter
highest. porters of this coveted resin favor of the Church". whose foundation cost half session has been entertain-
From March to June the owning vast pieces of land Like all other industries al- a million guilders. It goes ing curious participants for
harvest is brought in, a very surrounding Oranjestad. oe-growing was affected without saying that the decades. Mail us at etni-
suitable time for Aruba The aloe resin was sent by the coming of the oil- factory only works full time anativa03@gmail.com to
since this is the dry season, abroad, most of it by far to industry. Not until 1950 was in the period from July to confirm your participation.
during which in the seven- New York, but also to Texas, aloe-planting on a large January, but since already Our facilities and activities
teenth century and virtually Hamburg and London. scale resumed. in March the first sap is take place close to high
till about 1928, there was About 1890 prices began In 1947 the Aruba aloe bought, this newest industry rise hotels. q
little employment. to fall and in 1900 no more products company was in- on our island represents an
than three dollar cents per augurated, meanwhile in important asset. However,
2 Aloe drip system pound could be obtained. the previous century the the growth of the market-
The resin-sap, called ‘aze- Nevertheless during this pe- use of aloe was common ing of aloe was threatened
ta’ in Papiamento, what riod aloe-growing was con- among the inhabitants by the rights of protec-
stands for oil, was allowed tinued on Aruba though but without applying any tion in other countries and
to leak from the plants. The it was impossible to make previous process not until by the circumstance that
thick pulpy leaves sharply profits. about 1890 did they begin young people are not in-
dentate at the edges were The better grades in partic- to extract its aloin in order clined to seek employment
laid in drip-troughs, sloping ular went to London, realiz- to work it up to laxatives, in it and prefer another
gutters consisting of two ing as much as 60 shillings etc. Aruba always shipped type of work. In 1951 its pro-
boards. Payment for this per hundred pounds. In the plain aloe-juice, which had duction amounted to ap-
heavy work was made by London of before the First to be thinned elsewhere proximately 15,000 pounds,
the gallon; hence deceit World War the aloe from all so as to obtain aloin. The representing around 30
was sometimes practiced the three islands was priced Aruba Aloe Products Com- percent of world produc-
by thinning the sap. It was a little higher than that from pany now purchases this tion.