José Ramón Machado Ventura, second secretary of the Party Central Committee and a vice president of the Councils of State and Ministers, visited three sugar mills in the province of Mayabeque, together with agricultural producers dedicated to cultivating potatoes in the municipalities of Güines, Melena del Sur, Batabanó and Quivicán, this Wednesday, December 30.
MachadoVentura showed interest in the progress of the potato planting program acrossBasic Units of CooperativeProduction(UBPC), Agriculture and Livestock Production Cooperatives (CPA) andCredit and Services Cooperatives (CCS), the pace of which has been hampered by adverse weather conditions.
Héctor Giniebra Junco, director of the Agriculture and Forestry Enterprise Group, explained the strategy designed to overcome the setbacks. “The proper use of planting machines and strict discipline throughout every step of the campaign are critical,” the official noted.
In this regard, Machado Ventura suggested that preparations be made to tackle any potential pests and diseases that may harm crops, including a proper phytosanitary strategy, applied on every farm, and constant monitoring by specialists and workers.
The visit included the Restituto Alonso UBPC in Güines, which saw the biggest yields of potatoes in the country during the previous harvest. Lázaro Fumero, the unit administrator, explained that the use of natural and organic products produced by the scientific centers of the territory had influenced on the bumper harvest.
Machado Ventura also questioned agricultural supervisors with respect to production costs and how unscrupulous people find ways to acquire these crops to sell on to the population at higher prices. “It’s an issue we have to prevent, and we are confident that we will win the fight,” he said.
He also referred to the need to plant a variety of crops and not just those that most economically benefit producers. This will be achieved through better planning, stricter contracts and ongoing monitoring, he noted.
He stressed the need to maximize the land potential, effectively harness technology and continue to apply science in the field.
Today agriculture has greater resources and that has to result in more food for the people, he stated.
During his tour of Mayabeque, Machado Ventura was accompanied by Juan Miguel García Díaz, member of the Party Central Committee and first secretary in the province; Gustavo Rodríguez Rollero, minister of Agriculture, and Orlando Celso García, president of AZCUBA, among other figures of the province.
(Granma)