Cuban province protects agriculture in face of threat of tropical storm Melissa

SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba, Oct 24 (ACN) In response to the potential impact of tropical cyclone Melissa, preventive measures are being taken in the agricultural sector of the municipality of San Luis in the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba.

According to Javier Diaz Martinez, acting Deputy Mayor for Agriculture in the local government, cooperatives have clarified the implementation of disaster reduction plans, focusing on the designation of capacities for resource protection, the harvesting of agricultural products fit for consumption, and the transfer of animals to safe locations.

Trucks from the Municipal Agroindustrial Company and the Coffee Company in the mountain areas are transporting their produce for sale this weekend, with an emphasis on the special agricultural fair to be held this Saturday, he said.

Work is being accelerated to harvest all crops fit for consumption that could be lost and to move livestock to higher ground where there is no risk of flooding, he said.

According to Diaz Martinez, the sale of firewood and charcoal to ensure food cooking is being prioritized, taking into account the complex electrical energy situation.

One of the most worrying items is coffee, with more than eight thousand ripe cans in the fields, while the number of stored crops totals 19,000. Company workers and other workers from other sectors in the town of La Caoba have been mobilized to harvest the crops.

Harvesting will continue as long as weather conditions permit, he stated. In the case of processed cherry trees in pulping plants, intensive efforts have been made to protect them in safe places and cover them with nylon to prevent them from getting wet.

Based on the forecasts that this region will be affected by this meteorological phenomenon, the agricultural sector in the southeastern municipality is preparing the measures outlined in the plans to deal with the event in order to avoid, as far as possible, risks and damage.