Diaz-Canel visited the cheese factory in Cuban province

 

CAMAGUEY, Cuba, Jun 20 (ACN) Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) and president of the country, visited the Sibanicu Cheese Factory in the central-eastern province of Camagüey, as part of his regular tours of the Cuban provinces.

While speaking with this group of 184 workers, he learned that they are currently only producing fresh and processed cheese due to a breakdown in the pasteurizer. If repaired in the next few days, this will allow for the production of yellow cheese, reported Guillermo Hernandez Robles, head of production.

Hernandez Robles also commented that other cheese varieties such as Gouda and Patagras are guaranteed under more favorable conditions, although he noted that the instability of the electrical power affects the production flow, as these cheeses require three to six months of refrigeration to mature.

Regarding the total food plan, he emphasized that it is 90 % complete, which means approximately 300 tons of finished products, while ice cream production is unstable due to the current electricity situation and low milk storage levels, estimated at approximately 8,000 liters per day.

The main destinations, he noted, are the retail network, medical diets in the case of yogurt, social consumption, and infant formula.

Currently, Hernandez Robles point out, of the four available ripening refrigerators, with a capacity of 110 tons, only one is being used, due to the relocation of production facilities to better ensure the safety of raw materials.

All production, he asserted, undergoes a quality test, and the factory's health license is kept up to date.

Accompanied by Roberto Morales Ojeda, a member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of Organization of the PCC Central Committee, Diaz-Canel inquired about the semi-hard cheese production lines, both with a capacity to produce up to 4.4 tons of this product daily.

Diaz-Canel also expressed interest in the strategy to increase milk collection levels, as if there are improvements in the electricity service, the factory must have a backup of raw materials to maintain production at a facility that has always been distinguished by the quality of its cheeses.

Cuban president also inquired about the closed foreign currency scheme. In this regard, Daer Ricardo Agüero, director of the aforementioned factory, explained that this experiment will begin next July with the sale of one kilogram of Gouda cheese, which will be sold in the short term, as it matures in approximately 25 days.

The results of this economic measure, the President reflected, should be used to improve the working and living conditions of this labor force in order to increase production efficiency.

Walter Simon Noris, first secretary of the Provincial Committee of the PCC in Camagüey, stated that the main difficulty facing the industry nowadays is roof leaks, which hinder the efficient use of the plant, one of the largest of its kind in Cuba, visited by Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz in 1989.