Without generating wealth, it is difficult to organize the economy, Diaz-Canel affirms

HAVANA, Cuba, Jul 15 (ACN) Miguel Diaz-Canel, first secretary of the central committee of the Cuban communist party (PCC) and president of the country, affirmed that if wealth is not generated amid the current complex conditions, there is no way to organize the economy.

This is the focus of the Government Program's priorities to correct distortions and boost the economy, he emphasized before the Economic Affairs Committee of Parliament, following in-depth interventions by its deputies on the performance of the Cuban economy in the first half of the year, presented by Joaquin Alonso Vazquez, Minister of Economy and Planning.

What the country receives today is not enough to purchase the main raw materials we need to increase national production, nor to purchase finished or semi-finished products that would give us the option of having a market in the national currency that collects currency, Diaz-Canel stated.

He emphasized the imperative for the so-called closed financing schemes to reactivate production, and especially exports, in order to generate more revenue, allowing them to continue growing and contributing funds to the central account.

The head of state recalled that one of the agreements reached at the last plenary session of the PCC Central Committee was to make known the contents of the government program, which contains answers to all of the issues being raised.

The hows are being designed and promoted, but if we all understand this program, feel more committed, and offer the opportunity to participate, I believe new ideas and proposals will also emerge to perfect it, make necessary adjustments, and move toward a greater dynamic of construction.

Cuban president emphasized that his visits to the territories always reaffirm the conviction that "we can move forward," which is why groups of collectives are working, with more participatory leadership that takes into account the criteria and involvement of workers in decision-making.

"How can we produce more, to the extent and on the scale we can, with what we have now?" he asked, and insisted on the need to focus more on exports, earn more foreign currency, replace imports, break the import-driven mentality, and better defend production.

Generally, those collectives that do this and succeed also increase income, profits, and wages; their workers begin to enjoy greater well-being, and the place where such companies are located begins to develop differently.

According to the First Secretary of the PCC Central Committee, there are other export-oriented schemes that have had other possibilities but are also consolidating results, such as the complete tobacco system, which benefits everyone from producer to importer.

They are constantly going to research centers and universities to see what innovations they can contribute, and those are the ones that break blockades, the ones that inspire, he noted.

The things we approve, he continued, cannot be focused solely on control, but rather on incentives, motivation, promotion, and fostering the development of economic activity.In addition to this concept, we must have the conviction that we will eat what we are able to produce, rather than what we can import, the Cuban President warned.

He asserted that the country will not give up on importing food, as it will continue to subsidize people in vulnerable or disadvantaged situations. But we can't depend so heavily on the standard family basket, because the currency we're bringing in, which is poor and the economy's main problem, isn't even enough to import.

He explained that there are municipalities that have managed to sell rice and beans on a parallel market, in a controlled manner and at better prices than in other markets, every month, because they've produced them and haven't been waiting for what they get from imports. If it's achieved in some places, why can't we achieve it in others? Diaz-Canel asked, and called for a focus on territorial and municipal balance meetings.

To have more food, there is a food sovereignty law, there is a municipal self-sufficiency program, he recalled, and emphasized the importance of municipal agro-industrial companies and their connection with economic stakeholders; the only ones are the Agricultural Production Cooperatives and the Credit and Services Cooperatives.
Cuban head of state mentioned that today there is a group of non-state entities that have invested in food industries, called mini-industries, and some with good imported technologies.

In another part of his speech, the President recommended promoting investments such as irrigation equipment, which produce returns, and protecting them, and regarding imports, not only taking into account traditional markets.

We agree that we have to export more, but this requires having markets that accept what I am going to export and being competitive. And we must also take advantage, as we have been promoting, of a group of forums that better defend multilateralism and are more inclusive, offering us better opportunities, such as the Eurasian Economic Union and the BRICS, to support export projects.

We must work with foreign direct investment businesses that generate mutual benefits for both parties, for us and for the investor, and that guarantee the return of what each party receives from that investment and that development, Diaz-Canel concluded.