Cuban VP stresses need to increase food production

 SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba, Apr 14 (ACN) Salvador Valdes Mesa, Cuban vice president, called today in the municipalities of Segundo Frente and Mella to increase food production as soon as possible, in order to respond to the nutritional needs of the population.

As part of his visit to the province to analyze the implementation and progress of the Food Sovereignty and Security Program, Valdes Mesa, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, referred to the continuing limitations with imports and indicated the urgency for enterprises, organizations and institutions to be self-consuming and use all their yards and plots of land.

He mentioned the lack of chemicals, herbicides and other inputs, but called for the use of science, organic fertilizers, in order to create alternative routes to overcome the existing limitations for the cultivation of grains such as beans.

During the debate with farmers and directors of the entities, he emphasized the importance of facing inflation and high prices, factors that hit the nation's economy.

Much remains to be done in Segundo Frente to achieve its prosperity, he pointed out, but it is possible with will, good planning, proper contracting and much more work.

In Mella, with many shortages of cereals, grains and proteins, there is also the non-payment to producers, which undermines the credibility of the state enterprise and creates discomfort among farmers.

Valdes Mesa was concerned about the situation of the Julio Antonio Mella sugar mill, the largest in Santiago de Cuba and the only one in the province with the capacity to refine crude oil, which in this sugar campaign only processed derivatives of grasses such as alcohol, raspadura, meladura, among others.

He urged to optimize the land for sugar cane sowing and to solve the main difficulties of the sugar mill, in order to put it into operation during the next sugarcane harvest.
Regarding the increase in the incidence of crime in the demarcation, mainly against property and cattle and horses, the Cuban vice president insisted on influencing the communities, because it is in them where the criminals coexist.

He stated that it is imperative to carry out exemplary trials to eliminate impunity, and said that stopping crime does not depend on foreign currency or imports, but on the timely work and control of each territory.