There are many things that can be done, Cuban PM asserts

HAVANA, Cuba, May 17 (ACN) On the importance of clarifying concepts to know "where we have to go", spoke on Wednesday afternoon the member of the Political Bureau and Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, during an exchange that, like those held in other parts of Cuba, seeks new ways of doing for society to experience progress.

We have told the people that this has to be a better year, said the head of government at the meeting with the authorities of the territory, which was headed by the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) and President of the Republic, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, and which was also attended by the member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of Organization of the Central Committee of the PCC, Roberto Morales Ojeda.

These days of collective reflection are a follow-up to those held throughout the island in January 2023, when the country's leadership, together with the authorities of each territory, considered what more could be done for the welfare of Cuba.

Once the Tuesday meeting in Camagüey was over, the Prime Minister talked with the press team of the Presidency of the country, and in that dialogue he shared ideas about the meaning and importance of the meetings that have been taking place in these days.

His first reflection to the reporters had to do with the need to explain to the people what this system of work consists of and he recalled that when 2023 was coming, aware that the same challenges as in previous years were going to be faced "-and I am referring to an intensified blockade, to the economic crisis that has given us the pandemic, to that determination of the enemies of the Revolution to destroy it, the crisis in Europe itself-, seeing those concerns, those challenges that we were going to face, the President and First Secretary of the PCC decided to go to each province to ask the main actors, those who really decide, an extra, an extra to see how to do things differently, and not a little more of the same, looking for solutions based on our own potential, on the things that depend on us".

Marrero Cruz pointed out that in those meetings held in January, commitments were established. And he said that this resulted in a deep work, in which universities participated and potentialities were identified: "About four months have passed and the President decided that it was time to see what has happened, what has happened.

What have we found?

What have we found," the Prime Minister commented to the press, and then went on to elaborate: "Very interesting experiences. We have seen that hard work has been done, we have identified in which things we have made progress and in which we have not". He said it in the sense that these recent exchanges have not been simple work meetings, "but some meetings for which we have prepared well: first we sent an advance party - composed of the Party, that is, the Central Committee, and the Government of the Republic - to check; and we have come prepared to listen to the people, but also with the necessary elements, and this has allowed us to discuss the issues with objectivity".

"Then we have seen very interesting experiences; we have seen things in which progress has been made". Unfortunately, as Marrero Cruz expressed, "those good experiences, in many cases and in many places, are still exceptions and cannot be generalized. I believe that this is one of the main concerns and dissatisfactions.

Food production

In terms of food production - although there are advances in several territories - it is not possible to satisfy the people's demand, said the Prime Minister; and he made reference, in the first place, to agricultural production, "and there is a very important element, which we have been identifying and analyzing in each territory: the country's agricultural food production has a structure whose 80 % is produced by private forms of management, they are not state companies".

The governmental leader recalled that "the lands were given, and continue to be given, to the people, to the cooperatives. However, the objectives are not always met, and then, who is responsible for this? Who do the people claim for the guarantee of foodstuffs? And the Government, through the state-owned companies, has to reach those producers, has to contract to guarantee that food distribution".

Marrero Cruz commented that in Camagüey, for example, "we have found that the contracting levels are low in terms of milk production". And on that point he did not overlook the fact that 70 % of the milk consumed in Cuba today has to be imported; "and yet, in the country milk is produced that is not being contracted, that is being diverted and that does not go to the children and people who need it".

It is an important issue, he said, which goes through discipline, through demands, through contracting, paying the production to the farmers, and also through demanding that it be produced, because the Government has given these lands, and therefore, there is a commitment and a task, which is to guarantee the production for the people.

Commerce and gastronomy

In terms of trade and gastronomy, Marrero Cruz said, we have come up against an issue, "which we are aware of": there is still not enough supply and most of the gastronomic offer is found in the private sector, "with high prices; so we have also discussed this issue in depth, which is of great interest to the people, which is the price situation. We have seen some interesting experiences, but they are not generalized either".

On the other hand, the Prime Minister emphasized: "We must demand the cost card and avoid these abusive prices. What happens in agriculture? First the producer sells at a price, and then there is a series of intermediaries who do nothing, only buy and resell, and in the end there are two major affected, the one who produces in the sun every day, who is the one who charges the least, and the one who pays the most to the intermediaries, which is the people."

"And we have seen many examples. Today we saw it in Camagüey: a producer who directly sells the pumpkin at six pesos a pound, while in the markets it is at forty."

Marrero Cruz stressed that "that is an issue that is in our hands to resolve, in each of the municipalities, with each of the cadres."

Other vital issues
We have discussed housing issues -said the Head of Government-: It is an important concern of the population, progress is being made in several aspects, but although there has been a lack of cement and steel, sometimes the local production of construction materials is also low, so more progress could be made in this program.

Regarding how to guarantee the fulfillment of all social policies, especially those aimed at people in more vulnerable situations, he explained: "We have well identified the needs of working mothers, among them the children's day care centers, and we are asking the companies to take on the children's homes to solve this problem together with the governments, and thus, in one way or another, we have covered the main aspects that have an impact on the population".

"These have been tough meetings, with strong discussions, but I believe they have been very encouraging. And we have discussed a matter of great concern to the people, which is the issue of crime". On this last issue, Marrero Cruz reflected on the value of "seeing how things that sometimes are missing and sometimes cannot be guaranteed, are being resold on the street, sometimes stolen from a company, from a factory, at prices that are abusive for the people".

These goods, he said, should be at the established prices and in the establishments intended for them. In this regard, he warned that this is not only something that is the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior: "This is a matter for all of us, and of more demands, of more internal control, where everybody has to take care of their own and especially those things that must be guaranteed to the people".

We have made a strong call in this sense and there is a key issue which is the role that the municipality has to play, that scenario, he said, which must have more autonomy to "satisfy the needs of its population, and see how to exploit all the potentialities of the municipality to solve the problems of its own population".

A change of mentality is needed, emphasized Marrero Cruz, people should not be afraid to face difficulties in the search for solutions.

"We are really convinced, and we are demonstrating and seeing, feeling, that things can be done, that yes, despite the blockade, despite all the limitations we have in terms of currency to acquire means and raw materials from abroad, there are many things we can do when we work in a cohesive way, when we look for a different way of thinking".

Finally, he emphasized: "We have to win all these battles that are won from the territories, and we are confident that we can move forward in this sense and be able to give the people the answer they expect from us".