Cuba's easternmost province makes progress in restoring telecommunications and agriculture

GUANTANAMO, Cuba, November 11 (ACN) The telecommunications sector in Guantanamo, identified as one of the hardest hit by Hurricane Melissa, has restored 14,042 landline services, a significant step forward in its recovery process.

This was highlighted by Eber Gell Pelegrin, head of the commercial department of Etecsa's Territorial Division in Guantanamo, who noted that the initial damage amounted to 24,120 fixed-line telephone services, representing 44.7 % of the provincial total. 10,078 services remain affected, a figure whose reduction depends largely on the restoration of electricity service in several localities, he commented.

He added that in the area of ​​mobile telephony, the recovery shows a positive balance, since of the 99 sites initially damaged, 83 have been restored and are operational.

Regarding connectivity services, a 76.9 % recovery rate has been reported for the initial 10,509 affected services, leaving only 579 services still to be resolved.

This figure indicates significant progress in this critical area. Of the 325 damaged poles, 149 have been repaired.

Following the hurricane on October 29, Cuba's easternmost province suffered one of the most critical situations, with the complete loss of telecommunications links connecting the territory to the rest of the country.

This isolation was caused by the rupture of three fiber optic cables: the route to Santiago de Cuba, the Moa-Baracoa line, and the Mulata line.

Thanks to intensive repair efforts, the provincial fiber optic connection was restored on October 31, overcoming the most critical phase of the outage and allowing for the gradual normalization of services.

Meanwhile, the region is working on recovery efforts and planting short-cycle crops as a strategy to increase production levels.

Alvernis Veranes Favier, the provincial agriculture delegate, noted that the sector's damage was exacerbated by preceding conditions, such as the prolonged drought, heavy rains, and the effects of the hurricane.

The region suffered damage to more than 20,000 hectares (ha) of arable land; of these, more than 17,000 ha correspond to various crops and more than 5,000 ha to coffee, he explained.

He detailed that plantains were the most affected crop, with approximately 6,000 ha, and the municipalities of San Antonio del Sur, Guantanamo, Niceto Perez, El Salvador, and Yateras were the hardest hit.

To date, more than 9,000 ha have been recovered, including 6,000 ha planted with crops such as cassava and sweet potato, and efforts are underway to plant short-cycle varieties, primarily sweet potato, squash, beans, and corn, on more than 4,000 ha.

Another important task is the recovery of organic gardens for the rapid production of vegetables and the creation of as many technologically advanced plots as possible, Veranes Favier explained.

He indicated that for this November, they plan to plant more than 4,500 hectares and in December, 7,000 hectares, which would help recover and stabilize production levels.

By the end of the year, he explained that more than 2,000 hectares of cassava are available in different stages of planting, more than 500 hectares of yam, and more than 600 hectares of taro.

In addition, they are working on planting short-cycle vegetables such as cucumber and tomato.

With the availability of water in dams and reservoirs, agriculture can sustain larger plantings of root crops, vegetables, and grains for an extended period, as well as increase production of crops such as rice, for which more than 300 hectares are available for planting starting in September.