The Ministry of Domestic Commerce’s policy for remote areas served by Plan Turquino is to prioritize the availability of high demand products for residents in all regions of the country, including industrial and personal hygiene items, as well as more economical lines generally sold in higher end retail outlets, explained Mary Blanca Ortega Barredo, Minister of Domestic Commerce, during a visit to stores located in this mountain municipality.
Across the portion of the Guamuhaya range within the province of Cienfuegos, 36 retail stores have been repaired or remodeled to provide better service to the population.
Ortega noted that the policy includes not only stores but also restaurant and recreational facilities, which the province is working to improve, ensuring that buildings and equipment favor quality services, with many works in the region completed and others underway.
In terms of appliance repair workshops in remote areas, she explained that even when replacement parts are in short supply, technicians must remain on the job, and be incorporated into maintenance and repair plans, to guarantee the sustainability of these facilities.
Ortega also commented on the importance of maintaining neighborhood bodegas where the population purchases basic quantities of food items at subsidized prices, saying, “The country has some 13,000 of these… the population goes to them every day. And in the event of adverse weather phenomena, this is where resources for the community – which could be cut off – are safeguarded. Given all this, they must be maintained in secure working order.”