Organizational and control shortcomings still present in Cuban agriculture

HAVANA, Cuba, Dec 27 (acn) Several years after the implementation of the 17 steps to a better functioning of the Basic Units of Cooperative Production (UBPC), organizational and control deficiencies that affect food production are still present.

Members of Food Standing Committee of the National Assembly of People's Power indicated that the problems identified during visits to the territories, are associated with lack of training of managerial staff of the boards of cooperatives.

Deficiencies in procurement is one of the edges where it becomes necessary to prioritize the attention of all agencies involved, Clara Toledo, an official of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba said.

She explained that for that reason contracts don't include everything producers can actually contribute with, and resources, inputs and technological means given to the development of agricultural programs are wasted.

Currently, 70 percent of the shortcomings can be solved on the base, which means that most are subjective, 20 can be resolved in the municipalities and 10 at country or province level.

On that regard, Ricardo Monzón, director of Care to Production Units, of the Ministry of Agriculture, said that the body works in construction of shopping centers to bring the supplies to the place of residence of the farmer. He explained that these entities will shortly take delivery of office supplies and computers, one of the aspects demanded by UBPCs in the joint meetings

Karen Alvarado, deputy of the province of Granma, said it takes a harsher judicial mechanism to support the implementation of the agreement in the document, which must be constantly checked by everyone involved.

Alvarado said that many measures can be implemented, but if left unchecked and systematically monitored, they go out of hand, "he said.

During the day the deputies learned details about the new regulations for fuel deliveries, credit for investments and combating drought, among others.