Cuban harvest association contracts more agricultural products

HAVANA, Cuba, May 18 (acn) The Agriculture Ministry's Harvest Association has begun initiatives aimed at contracting larger amounts of agricultural products.

This strategy, with its current agreements, represents a 20 percent increase compared to 2015, said on Tuesday in Havana Nelson Concepcion, Director of the entity while speaking to the daily Round Table Information program.

He explained that there are still production reserves to increase the harvest but there are difficulties with the contracting process and still a lack of satisfaction in the use of the legal regulations in the territories.

The specialist informed that work is underway to recover workshops, warehouses and vehicles, many of which are over 30 years old in order to secure the systematic flow of supplies to the markets.

The financial plan has been approved in order to increase efficiency of the institution which will also have the support of other state firms like Azcuba and local governments.

The presence of science and technology, the efficient use of irrigating systems in order to increase yields must be present for an increase of the productions, said Julio Martinez, agriculture representative in the Cuban capital.

He said that cooperation ties have been strengthened with cooperatives in the provinces of Artemisa and Mayabeque that already have markets in the city.

There are currently 734 marketplaces in the city making up 70 per cent of the sales with a group of measures implemented to guarantee the stable presence of the products.

The population has identified the deficiencies of the quality of the variety of products that are sold while expanding the network, said Luis Carlos Gongora, Vice President of the Provincial Administration Council.

He pointed out they are analyzing ways of reopening the El Trigal whole sale market, which was temporarily closed due to irregularities, illegalities, lack of control and the noncompliance of the objective for which it was created.

Havana needs Trigal, but with organization and control in order to store and sell the multiple agricultural products that arrives from all parts of the island.

Recent television reports revealed the people's satisfaction with the reduction of prices in 26 agricultural products but pointed out that the quality of the products must be maintained as well as the variety and presence in each one of the markets to avoid buying in sites that have a higher price.