Cuban vicepresident checks food sovereignty program in central province of the country

CIEGO DE AVILA, Cuba, Mar 18 (ACN) Salvador Valdes Mesa, member of the Political Bureau and vice president of Cuba, assesses today in Ciego de Avila the progress of the municipal self-sufficiency program, in which, he said, the province has made a step forward in relation to previous stages. In an exchange with authorities of the Cuban communist party, government and agriculture of the territory, he learned that from February 2021 to the present, 2,440.3 tons of food were collected, which represents a growth of more than 4,600 tons compared to the previous period.

This made possible the delivery of 29.41 pounds per capita per month and a growth of 5.45 % , based on the increase in the areas to be cultivated and the use of organic fertilizers to make up for the shortage of chemical products.

Valdes Mesa stressed that the province has technology and irrigated areas, which put it in a position to be the first to achieve food sovereignty, but urged to work to make sustainable the delivery of 30 pounds of food from agriculture each month.

Cuban vice president indicated that the increase in agricultural production is a way to help the country to reduce the burden of imports that make up the regulated family food basket.

He recalled that the economic crisis has led to lower levels of wheat imports, which results in fewer offers of bread, cookies and sweets and forces people to turn to other food alternatives, which can be found in gastronomy or markets and points of sale, such as fruits.