Despite Limitations, the Cuban Government will Continue Supporting Services to the People

HAVANA, Cuba, Jul 9 (acn) Marino Murillo, a member of the Politburo and Vice-president of the Council of Ministers, said on Friday that despite the financial constraints experienced by the country, the strategic programs and services to the population will be supported.

In the presence of deputies and guests to the Seventh Regular Session of the National Assembly of People's Power (ANPP) in its Eighth Legislature, the Minister of Planning and the Economy informed about the performance of the economy during the first six months and predictions for the second.
According to Murillo, the gross domestic product grew by only one percent, due to financial constraints associated with fall of revenues from exports and insufficient fuel supply.
With regard to measures to implement hereinafter he mentioned restriction of foreign currency payments, management of credit decisions to make refund easier in following stages, and adjustment in the consumption of energy.
However, he stressed that vital services to the population will continue to be supported, as well as internal monetary balance, investment programs of strategic sectors, schemes with export capacity, and construction materials.
He also stressed the decision to maintain the measures implemented to increase the purchasing power of the Cuban peso, which have favored a growing increase in sales of products such as chicken, rice, peas and oil.
Murillo stressed that electricity service to the residential sector, which consumes 60 percent of the total demanded by the country, as well as the one for other prioritized activities, such as tourism and the nickel industry, will be protected one hundred percent.
He pointed out that depending on the availability of energy sources, consumption of street lighting and the budgeted business sector will be adjusted.
With respect to investments, Murillo assured that although 17 percent will not be executed, more than 6.6 billions will be executed, a higher figure as compared to last year's amount.
In this regard, he argued that works associated with strategic programs such as tourism, renewable sources of energy, agriculture, confronting drought, sanitation, infrastructures of the Special Development Area of Mariel, telecommunications, and increase of construction capacity, will be supported.
He specified that food imports planned for the period will be maintained, in the face of the downward trend of prices of some products in the international market.
After clarifying that this is not an adjustment of plan, the minister noted that to meet the objectives of the year it will be necessary to rationalize expenditures, reflect more accurately the situation of energy sources, and strictly apply the payment of wages in the enterprise system according to production increases.
In this scenario where an efficient use of existing reserves will be necessary, Murillo added that the increase in national production should tend to reduce imports.