José Ramón Machado Ventura, second secretary of the Party Central Committee visited areas under cultivation around the province to review efforts being made to increase food production, rice in particular, as well as sugar cane.
He began his tour at the José Martí Credit and Services Cooperative (CCS), in the municipality of Perico, one of the largest cooperative producers in the country.
In a dialogue with campesinos, Machado Ventura commended the work done to increase yields, and the fact that practically all food produced is sold to the state distributor. A priority he emphasized was the need to increase deliveries to the nearby tourist resort of Varadero.
He also visited the Eladio Hernández Basic Unit of Cooperative production (UBPC), dedicated to the production of seeds, and El Sordo, in the municipality of Martí, which is committed to producing 10,000 tons of food this year.
At the July 26 CPA (Agricultural Production Cooperative) in the municipality of Colón, and the La Vega UBPC, in Calimete, Machado Ventura discussed the multiple factors which led to unmet goals in this past sugar harvest, insisting on the need to adequately prepare for the next season, which should begin in early November, to prevent similar problems.
Although the province fell 20,000 tons short of its annual goal, more sugar was produced than in the last 11 harvests.
He took note of a novel practice being used at La Vega in sugar cane cultivation, known as broad furrow planting, which makes optimal use of resources and increases yields.
Accompanied by Teresa Rojas Monzón, first party secretary in Matanzas, Machado evaluated progress in the province’s rice program, expected to produce 20,000 tons this year, approximately 45% of the total needed to meet demand.
He congratulated and conversed with rice farmer Adalberto González, who has achieved yields of over eight tons per hectare.
(Granma)