Cuban Farmers to Address Challenges in upcoming Congress

 Havana, March 11 (ACN) Cooperative and private agriculture workers making up the Cuban Association of Small Famers look forward to the 13th Congress of their organization in order to address the current challenges facing their everyday efforts to improve the local agricultural production.

The forum will expose pressing problems to be considered by participants who will make proposals to overcome them, which will be a “huge challenge,” said Association president Felix Duartes during a meeting with local reporters at a Havana cooperative farm, PL news agency reported.

We expect to share an open, sincere and constructive debate about the difficulties facing Cuban farmers and their production, which will strengthen our unity and strength, Duartes noted.

Cuba’s National Small Farmers Association (ANAP) was set up on May 17, 1961 following two land reforms (1959 and 1960), which provided plots of lands to Cuban farmers.

In 2024, the organization had 3 thousand 198 cooperative farms grouping 403 thousand 924 farmers—320 thousand 299 men and 83 thousand 643 women, and their relatives. This association does not include farmers from state-run companies.

The private and cooperative farmers manage 45 percent of the island’s cultivable land, with 70 to 80 percent of all the country’s agricultural production—a strong impact on Cuban economy and the population, -- said the executive.

However, the current shortage of resources, low renovation of machinery and equipment, the almost full absence of fertilizers and insecticides caused by the US economic extortion policy, and the unpaid by companies who purchase their products are some of the challenges facing the farmers.

Other limitations include the shortage of fuels, low power generation and weak infrastructure for efficient banking operations.

Participants at the Congress will analyze all previous issues along widespread concern about skyrocketing prices of resources, illegalities and crime like illegal slaughter of cattle and other events.