The platform has among its novelties the unique national classifier for all forms of economic management, something that did not exist in Cuba and that allows searching for institutions in a simpler and more homogenized way, the president of Dofleini S.R.L., Miguel Pérez, explained to the Granma newspaper. Kings.

For this, he added, the Guide has a classification of 18 categories that in turn have subcategories, with easy and useful concepts translated into the natural language of people.

In addition, this tool contains a space for pure local development projects, which includes those that do not have any economic source behind them, that is, that are not associated with companies or other forms of management with established legal personality. The Deputy Minister of Communications, Grisel Reyes León, also highlights among the main functionalities of this platform that provides job offer options and opportunities such as tenders, collaboration offers and investments.

Of the total number of economic actors that appear in the Guide, only 1,600 are active, which have had good results of work in this way, but a large number are not aware of the importance of this endeavor and another large percentage do not even know that it exists, commented the owner of Dofleini S.R.L.

The businessman pointed out that among the aspirations is to establish a correlation between the tax identification code and the state registration code of companies and budgeted units, so that a single Cuban business directory can be created, in which each business can be clearly identified. .

Pérez Reyes stressed that the business opportunities enabled on the platform are the option that will guide towards the much-needed productive chain, because in this way companies can publicize their productive and association needs.

Work is also being done, together with the Cuban Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, to materialize the specialized guide of importing and exporting companies, already present on the platform, with their space identified to build the exportable offer. Cuban, said the businessman.

He commented that until now, the most important thing about the Cuban Business Guide is the business directory, whose intention is to make it the place where all forms of management in the country have their space for natural promotion, not only to be chained among them. , but also to give visibility of your business to Cuban citizens.

He added that business models are currently being studied, and in this way offer values ​​above those that the Guide already has: better promote brands, do better searches, have a specialized website and a Cuba business subdomain, among other ideas that They will materialize over time.

(With information from ACN)

He pointed out that the Gross Domestic Product declined in 2020 on the order of 11%, thus any modest growth does not indicate an increase in the level of activity, since the economy will remain below what was achieved in 2019.

To support this projection, the gradual recovery of tourism is expected, projecting the arrival of close to 2.2 million international visitors, along with positive results in nickel exports and telecommunication services.

Alejandro Gil stated that the blockade’s pressure continues, constituting the main obstacle to country’s development, with an impact this last year exceeding 5.5 billion dollars, and over the most recent five-year period, 17 billion.

Such figures, he emphasized, represent between 12 and 15 million pesos per day and have an impact on all areas, especially healthcare, public transportation, water infrastructure and foreign investment.

Regarding the COVID-19 battle, he reported that associated expenses have already surpassed 300 million dollars, while the state budget has allocated some two billion pesos. However, he added, the indirect cost is much higher, given the necessary paralysis of some productive activities and services.

Regarding the monetary re-ordering task, the Minister reiterated that, although there have been design and implementation problems, the people have been heard, and mistaken decisions have been rectified, and some positive aspects can already be noted, which should become more visible in the future.

He mentioned that exports of goods have grown compared to the same period in 2020; more than 150,000 new jobs have been created; and a more effective and transparent system for measuring costs is evident.

Alejandro Gil commented that some 1,300 companies are generating earnings at the end of the period, while a few more than 500 show losses. This latter number, he said, is higher than in other periods, although many were in the same condition prior to the re-ordering, but were unaware of the fact, as a result of former practices.

Addressing the importance of the new monetary order, he explained that delaying it or applying it partially would have been more traumatic and destabilizing, pointing out that there are problems, especially limited supply in the market, which should not be blamed on the re-ordering.

The Minister remarked that the official exchange rate of the U.S. dollar to the Cuban peso of 1×24 is maintained, although in the informal market, given the impossibility of making foreign currency available to the population, the rate oscillates between 50 and 60 pesos on the informal market. He acknowledged that the country’s severe financial limitations have not allowed resolution, in the immediate term, of limited supply of basic goods on the market.

Despite of this situation, he stated, the Cuban government has not resorted to neoliberal or “shock therapy,” but is working on the adoption of strategies to increase food production, improve efficiency and strengthen state enterprises, as well as their links with other economic actors.

(Taken from Granma)

Undoubtedly, local development is today a public policy of strategic importance, with the Constitution itself codifying the autonomy and legal personality of provinces and municipalities, with a view toward promoting economic and social dynamics.

It is no coincidence that this year a series of legal norms has been approved to promote territorial development and better manage financing, banking, budgetary and pricing processes in local projects, without bureaucratic hurdles.

Perhaps this is why it is even more gratifying to learn that the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) recognized 29 Cuban municipalities with a very high rate of human development, in a report prepared in coordination with the World Economy Research Center and the participation of several Cuban institutions

Under the title “Ascenso a la raíz” (Ascent to the Root), a Local Perspective on Human Development in Cuba 2019, the recent study also indicates that the index is considered high in 51 municipalities; medium in 75 and low in only 13. Meanwhile, no province, as a general estimate, presents a low human development index, while Havana, Villa Clara, Matanzas and Pinar del Río display the best results.

The Human Development Index, developed by UNDP in 1990, has classified some 189 countries in four levels, taking into account life expectancy, education and per capita income.

Despite the obstacles of the current context, Cuba has put its human development potential and scarce economic resources to work to confront the pandemic, both at the local and national level, as well as globally, through international collaboration.

In this sense, the report also represents an opportunity for policy makers and territorial government bodies to move forward with greater autonomy and authority.

(Taken from Granma)

Speaking on the Mesa Redonda television program, focused on Party efforts giving continuity to agreements reached at its 8th Congress, he recalled that, in the 7th Congress five years ago, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz emphasized the Party’s critical role in the country’s economic development, the struggle for peace and ideological resolve.

A deep analysis of these issues was presented in the Central Report to the 8th Party gathering, which was reiterated in the closing remarks by Central Committee First Secretary and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, who called for strengthening the internal life of the organization to more effectively impact life outside the Party, that is, the economic and social development of the country, closely related to Cubans’ quality of life.

Based on these documents, Morales explained, a process of discussion has begun at all levels of the Party and government, the Union of Young Communists and mass organizations, with the purpose of defining the concrete responsibilities of every member in their areas, to ensure that agreements reached during the Congress are implemented.

Morales noted that, in his opinion, meetings with principal leaders of the organization at different levels have shown that the membership is not waiting for directives. This, he said is a reflection of the necessary changes underway, “Because a Party branch does not have to wait for orders to discuss a problem that is undermining the quality of a service or production of a given item, or one that affects the people.”

He insisted that nothing is alien to the Party, be it food production, housing construction or recreation and summer activities.

He pointed out, “Despite the pandemic, we expect favorable results from the sanitary interventions underway, and by the end of June we will have 20% of the population immunized and, by the end of August, 70%, which, along with continued adherence to hygienic-sanitary measures, will allow for greater opening (of the economy).”

Morales added that both the Secretariat and the Political Bureau have clarified the issues to be analyzed, and at the same time have identified indicators that will be used to evaluate what is accomplished. Party efforts to support implementation of the 63 government measures approved to increase food production, he noted as an example, also include keeping track of how this translates into more food, more vegetables, more milk.
The Party is now focused on giving continuity to agreements reached at its 8th Congress, held in April. Photo: Juvenal Balán

He added that an analysis of the sugar cane program is scheduled to take place shortly, since this season’s results were not good. A better outcome is not expected this year, but the planting of cane for the 2022-2023 harvest must be guaranteed.

Regarding the strengthening of Party work, he mentioned that the Secretariat has proposed to attend meetings of provincial bodies, at least once every three months, and those of local units every six months, without replacing the coordination already in place at these levels.

He emphasized that locals must “increase their militancy, since, although the economic blockade remains intact, what we can achieve also depends on our own efforts.”

Morales emphasized the work of cadres on the basis of our concepts and premises, first of all, the concept of Revolution. Assuming tasks with optimism, confidence and commitment is imperative; getting to the bottom of problems, with sensitivity, a sense of urgency, avoiding carelessness and consolidating a culture of attention to detail and good taste.

The transformation Party work, he stated, is based on another three pillars: use of scientific methods; the updating of communications strategies, with greater visualization of our efforts; and advancing the process of computerization which must reach mass organizations and the Young Communists League, and involve Party schools.

At another point in his remarks, Morales reported that the work of Central Committee commissions focused on ideological and economic activities, as well as science and innovation, is also being studied, and findings will be submitted to the body’s Second Plenum.

THE BATTLE FOR FOOD PRODUCTION

The Party supports the Ministry of Agriculture (Minag), with its ten state enterprise groups and more than 300 enterprises; as well as the Ministry of Food Industry (MINAL) and the Azcuba enterprise group, noted José Ramón Monteagudo Ruiz, Central Committee Secretariat member responsible for agro-alimentary activity, emphasizing that the battle for development of the national economy is decisive to constructing the society we want.

At the 8th Congress, he explained, the First Secretary called for greater pro-activity and mobilization of the country’s energy to meet sustainable development objectives. Among these, the Party considers food sovereignty and security as essential.

This commitment is evidenced by the fact that, of 201 updated policy guidelines, 17 are related to food production and processing. Thirty-three policies have already been approved in this regard. The issue is also prioritized in the National Development Plan through 2030 and, of course, the current socio-economic strategy.

In order to better perform all these tasks, the Central Committee is perfecting its work system, Monteagudo stated and, as a distinctive element, he highlighted the strengthening of leadership bodies and local units; as well as ties with party members, youth, workplaces and a comprehensive approach to issues.

He commented that the Party is now focused on political and ideological support for the 63 measures approved to increase agricultural production, and also prioritizes those intended to strengthen the socialist state enterprise. The Party, he added, must ensure that measures in each arena are implemented as designed, and that workers feel the benefits.

Other important issues include territorial self-sufficiency, developing each locality’s full potential, starting with the cultivation of arable land. In this respect, he reported that more than 2,600,000 hectares of idle land have awarded to farmers across the country, which should have a notable impact on efforts to expand production.

In addition to all this, he noted, is the task of improving the state sugar enterprise group Azcuba, which includes having the company’s active presence in all the country’s 56 sugar mills, improving support to the cane harvest and plantation recovery plans.

THE CHALLENGE OF STRENGTHENING STATE ENTERPRISES

Among the transformations in the internal functioning of the Party which the 8th Party Congress approved, is a new body headed by Félix Duarte Ortega, member of the Central Committee Secretariat, which will focus on support to Industry, Construction, Tourism, Transportation and Services, and include two departments.

One, he explained, is related to the production of goods and services in the country, collaborating with the Ministries of Energy and Mines, Industries, Construction, Tourism, Transportation, Communications and Domestic Commerce, as well as the Institute of Water Resources and the Institute of Physical Planning.

The other department will address political activity in the General Customs of the Republic, 33 Central Enterprise Management Groups (OSDE), and seven trade unions linked to the aforementioned ministries, he said.

“In this department, we have more than 105,000 Party members in 9,068 units across the entire country, and the arena includes approximately 1,150,000 workers, of whom some 750,000 are employed in the state sector,” he specified.

Referring to the challenges the Party faces, Duarte Ortega emphasized the importance of the Secretariat maintaining close ties with provincial and municipal committees, mass organizations and grassroots bodies.

We must work on ensuring that all these political forces, the mass of workers we can count on, play their role in each one of the activities and sectors we assist, he expressed.

“We must also be able to respond to the problems the national economy faces today, which, given the economic blockade and limited availability of financing, material resources and fuel, impose greater challenges on the enterprise system.”

Among the challenges to be met, he asserted, is the strengthening of management by all economic actors, and especially socialist state enterprises. In this task, he argued, the Party plays a fundamental role given its mission of bringing forces together and demanding results, without interfering in the administration of entities.

Concluding the discussion, Roberto Morales Ojeda reported that the holding of accountability assemblies will begin in November and December, continuing into January and February of 2022, starting with discussions within Party district committees and then at the municipal and provincial levels

He noted that the intention is that these meeting conduct an evaluation of what has been done during the period since the last review, above all, to analyze progress in implementation and fulfillment of the ideas, concepts and directives emerging from the Congress.

He added that the objective is to discuss the accountability reports with the entire membership, to ensure that, at the time of the assembly, be it district or provincial, significant debate with broad participation has already taken place.

(Taken from Granma)

They present a magazine photo, something fit for commercial advertising, and since they are desperately attempting to sell us a return to that “golden era,” they must get rid of everything in their way, sweeping away, one by one, all the steps taken by the Revolution to uphold the dignity of the people, returning our fields and cities to the social reality overcome by the Rebel Army victory of 1959.

What was lurking behind the neon lights of Cuba in the 1950s?

Behind the commercial scenery ran the blood left by the Batista dictatorship’s crimes, committed by institutions that served as models for repression in Latin America, including the Bureau for the Repression of Communist Activities (BRAC), the Military Intelligence Service (SIM), the Naval Intelligence Service (SIN), the Maritime Police, the Bureau of Investigations and the National Police, true academies of torture and death.

Havana was a paradise, yes, but for the mafias controlling gambling, alcohol, drug and prostitution in a kingdom of impunity that grew as a “sin city,” alongside Las Vegas, with great advantages over the pearl of Nevada.

What happened in Havana stayed in Havana. There was no popular site without a drug stash, a gambling table, and prostitutes on hand.

Dazzling hotels and casinos were built with the country’s money, and the profits they generated were sent daily to the United States. It was a big “bisnes” thanks to Batista, the strong man who protected every scheme to fleece the people, using public financing for dirty businesses that were of absolutely no use to them.

Among the great public works that are featured today in anti-Cuba propaganda, allegedly indicative of the success of the bourgeois republic, many were based on corruption. State funds were given to companies owned by the regime’s authorities, who received millions of pesos for projects that cost thousands.

Batista reaped 35% of all “transactions,” that is, 35% of absolutely all spurious profits from corruption.

In this “marvelous” Cuba, thousands of people occupied positions in ministries and were paid without lifting a finger. This was the famous “free ride” instituted in the republic, appointments made as payment for favors, political commitments, etc.

While the capital was filled with casinos and dream hotels, cathedrals to deceit and fraud, the other side of the city lived in painfully extreme poverty.

Hundreds of miserable slums were erected. Las Yaguas, the Cueva del Humo and so many other destitute neighborhoods grew in the shadow of the new ostentatious constructions.

In the neighborhood of Las Yaguas, as can be seen in the magazine Bohemia, thousands of families lived in subhuman conditions, sheltered under palm fronds, used by the cigar industry to wrap tobacco leaves, and recycled as walls and roofs after they were discarded outside factories.

Girls from the countryside were tricked into traveling to the capital, to be exploited in the infamous prostitution belt that served hotels, casinos and cabarets.

The island paradise belonged to Meyer Lansky, Santo Trafficante, Amleto Battisti Lora, Joe Stassi, Amadeo Barletta and Fulgencio Batista; five capos, one president, all in one and the same mafia.

The Sicilian Santo Trafficante, second in command of the so-called Havana Empire, the visible head of U.S. mafia operations in Cuba, with his headquarters in the Sans Souci cabaret, beginning in the 1930s took charge of bringing in cocaine from the Colombian city of Medellin and heroin from Marseilles.

For these trafficking operations, they founded airline companies in Cuba that flew in and out of military airports, serviced with equipment and by technicians from the Cuban air force, protected by the army and the national police. Havana was also the most important money laundering center in the Americas.

The Cuba which the counterrevolution presents toady as “a developed country,” was more accurately documented in the 1953 census, which determined that 68.5% of campesinos lived in miserable huts with palm roofs and dirt floors, 85% had no running water and 54% lacked any type of sanitary services.

Only 11% of families consumed milk, 4% meat and 2% eggs; 44% were illiterate, and, according to the National Economic Council, some 738,000 persons were unemployed – in a population of six million.

Almost 3,000,000 Cubans had no access to electricity, since the infrastructure reached only 56% of the country.

When the Revolution triumphed, there were 600,000 children without schools and 10,000 teachers without jobs. One and a half million inhabitants over six years of age had no schooling, barely 17% of young people between 15 and 19 years of age received any kind of education and the population over 15 years of age had an average educational level below the third grade.

In the cities, one out of every five inhabitants could not read or write; in the countryside, one out of every two campesinos was illiterate, and the few schools that existed were abandoned.

Only 20% of the arable land was cultivated, while 60% of the food was imported from the USA. More than half of the best land in the country was in foreign hands, and the properties of the United Fruit and West Indian companies stretched from the north coast all the way to the southern coastline of the former Oriente province.

According to data from Inter Press Service (ips), when the Revolution took power, the nation’s housing stock was seriously deteriorated, given the severe shortage of dwellings, notable differences between the countryside and the city, the variability of the materials used and the existence of poverty belts in the main cities, especially Havana. A 1953 study, coordinated by the U.S. Census Bureau, concluded that only 13% of homes could be considered in good condition.

In the capital, existing on the one hand was an ostentatious waterfront with exclusive bourgeoisie housing developments, luxurious apartment buildings and lavish residences, and on the other, huge areas of poor neighborhoods.

Given the conditions of economic underdevelopment that plagued Cuba, water resources were poorly administered. Of the 300 settlements with more than 1,000 inhabitants, only 114 had water distribution aqueducts and 12 had sewage systems.

At the beginning of 1959, 16 chlorination facilities were in operation and, of the four water treatment plants in Camagüey, Santa Clara, Palma Soriano and Cienfuegos, two lacked the required chemicals and one had not been operating for three years.

Havana’s sewage system was almost 50 years old and totally inadequate.

The only sewage treatment plant, located in Santa Clara, was abandoned, and sewage systems in Holguín, Guantánamo and Pinar del Río had been under construction for several years.

There were only 13 small reservoirs in the nation, located in Camagüey, Las Villas, Holguín and Santiago de Cuba.

This collection of facts, of course, does not match the commercial restoration presented by those who yearn for a return to the 50s, accepted by the naive who “swallow” the deception. Nor will they acknowledge that the cause of all this was Cuba’s status as a neocolony of the United States, a condition that plunged the country into the most brutal levels of underdevelopment and dependence, at the mercy of an oligarchy of military assassins, corrupt authorities and organized crime.

Nor will the restorers admit that the miserable reality suffered on the island was the driving force behind the warmth the people felt for the guerrilla insurgents in the mountains, fighting for a radical revolution in the country – the same Revolution that is today undefeated, heroically resisting, and aspiring to a prosperity obstructed by those who desire and invoke it, at the cost of selling the entire nation and our dignity, as was the case in the 50s they long for.

(Taken from Granma)

Between March 11, 2020 and the same day in 2021, so many events have transpired – so many unprecedented – that what we have experienced is beyond the capacity of these newspaper pages.

But we are alive, and confident that the day will come when there will be no deaths, no one in serious condition, no one infected. Hope lies in massive immunization of the population and in the power of solidarity, thus we propose a summary of what has happened in Cuba as this period draws to a close.

1. National prevention and control plan for the new coronavirus

Before the appearance of the first cases here, Cuba had designed and begun implementation of a series of measures to combat the disease.

Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, Party first secretary, insisted on the need for a national strategy that could be refined as more became known about the SARS-COV-2 virus.

Based on that directive, on January 29, 2020, the Council of Ministers approved a COVID-19 Prevention and Control Plan. On February 12, the COVID-19 Science Group was created. While on February 17 and 26, respectively, the COVID-19 Health Observatory and the Innovation Committee were established.

On February 28, the first five research projects focused on COVID-19 were approved. By June 1, 460 research projects were underway, of which 85 were led by the National Technical Group’s Science Group.
Nurse Yaquelín Collado Rodríguez was discharged from the hospital, after 59 days, including 37 in intensive care. Photo: Freddy Pérez Cabrera

On March 3, 2020, the Party Political Bureau approved an update of the Plan, with 497 measures; and on June 9, taking into account the experience gained, a strategy for the post-COVID-19 recovery stage was adopted, including 220 measures to be implemented over three phases. This plan was approved by the Executive Committee and the Council of Ministers on June 10.

2. First cases of COVID-19 reported in Cuba

On March 10, 2020, four Italian tourists with respiratory symptoms were identified while staying at a hostel in the city of Trinidad, in the province of Sancti Spíritus. They were immediately admitted to the Pedro Kourí Tropical Medicine Institute (IPK) in Havana.

On March 11, 2020, the IPK’s national reference laboratory reported that three of the four tourists isolated since March 10 had tested positive for the new SARS-COV-2 coronavirus. On the same day, the disease was declared a pandemic at the international level by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Army General Raúl Castro and President Díaz-Canel activated provincial defense councils, with a reduced number of members, to support the response. The activation of municipal defense councils, as needed, was also projected.

3. Regular press conferences keep the population informed

One of the most important communicational efforts of 2020 were the daily transmissions on national television of press conferences offered by the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap), conducted by its national director of Epidemiology, Dr. Francisco Durán García, who has responded to the people’s many concerns related to the evolution of the pandemic in our country, contributing to increasing risk perception and awareness of the need to reinforce hygienic-sanitary precautionary measures.

4. The first death in Cuba

In the early morning of March 18, a 61-year-old Italian patient, who had been admitted to the IPK’s intensive care unit in critical condition, died – a sad moment for the nation.

5. First Cuban infected with SARS-COV2, also the first to be discharged from the hospital

The first Cuban infected with the new coronavirus, young Jesús Álvarez, resident of Santa Clara, was also the first to be discharged from the hospital.

6. The longest hospital stay, due to COVID-19

On May 22, 2020, in Villa Clara, nurse Yaquelín Collado Rodríguez was discharged from Comandante Manuel Fajardo Military Hospital, after spending 59 days there, including 37 in ICU, in critical or serious condition.

She fell ill while serving on a mission in Venezuela, and hers was to be one of the most difficult COVID cases faced by Cuban medical science.

7. No deaths among pregnant women or children

On March 22, 2020, Santiago de Cuba reported the first pediatric COVID-19 patient in the country. Almost a year later, on March 2, 2021, assisted in Villa Clara was the first birth by a mother with COVID-19 and in critical condition. Cuba has recorded the cases of only one child with Multisystemic Inflammatory Syndrome, who recovered successfully; two cases of Kawasaki Disease, associated with COVID-19, also recovered, and an adolescent with Hemophagocytic Syndrome, also linked to the new coronavirus, who developed organ failure, and is now recuperating. No child or adolescent has died as a result of the epidemic, but more than 6,300 have been infected.

8. Cuba receives the British cruise ship MS Braemar, when no one else dared to do so

In a commendable humanitarian gesture, on March 18, 2020, Havana received the British Fred Olsen cruise line’s MS Braemar, with 682 passengers and 381 crew members on board, including five diagnosed with COVID-19, and another 40 suspected cases of the new coronavirus. The ship had been seeking safe harbor in several Caribbean ports since the end of February, but all of its requests had been denied. The Cuban government was the only one in the region willing to respond positively.

9. Thousands of citizens stranded abroad guaranteed return to Cuba

According to data from the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, between March 21 and October of 2020, 94 charter flights were organized to return home more than 5,700 Cubans stranded in 56 countries. Consular assistance was provided to Cuban crew members working on more than 12 cruise ships and more than 20 merchant vessels, which had ceased operations and were docked in different countries.

Likewise, the Cuban government, among other measures, implemented automatic, cost-free extension of continuous stays abroad for Cuban citizens resident in the country, beyond the established 24 months, as of March 19, 2020.

10. Brigades from the Henry Reeve International Contingent of Doctors Specialized in Disaster Situations and Serious Epidemics battle COVID-19 around the world

On March 15, the first brigade of advisors departed from Havana to Venezuela. Since then, Cuba has sent 56 Henry Reeve brigades to 40 countries. These medical professionals have assisted 1,090,799 persons in Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and Asia; thus extending Cuba’s treatment protocol to other countries, according to the Minsap website.

In recognition of this work, a passionate international movement is proposing the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for our doctors.
Photo: Ricardo López Hevia

11. Donations and solidarity with Cuba

In 2020, donations were received mainly from organizations of the United Nations system and countries in solidarity with Cuba. The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment has reported more than 400 donations from 27 nations and eight international cooperation agencies, in addition to aid to individuals. A bank account was also opened for generous individuals who wish to make a financial donation.

12. National network of COVID-19 diagnostic laboratories expanding

When the epidemic began, the country had four such institutions, with a capacity of 100 tests per day. At this time, 22 molecular biology laboratories are in operation, processing some 20,000 tests a day. A lab in the province of Mayabeque, now in the start-up phase, is in the latest to be opened.

13. Cuba has developed five candidate vaccines and could become the first Latin American and Caribbean country to produce its own COVID-19 vaccine

Cuba has five candidate vaccines in different phases of clinical trials: Soberana 01 and Soberana 02, from the Finlay Vaccine Institute; Abdala (CIGB-66) and Mambisa (CIGB-669), from the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, and Soberana Plus, recently added. The latter is a formulation being evaluated as part of the Soberana 01 project, which will be developed as a booster vaccine and administered to convalescent patients or in combination with other vaccines.

The island’s COVID-19 vaccine program began in May of 2020, and clinical studies began in August, with two formulations of Soberana 01. These candidate vaccines were approved after rigorous testing and review by the Center for State Control of Drugs, Equipment and Medical Devices (Cecmed).

14. Hyperimmune plasma from recovered patients key to saving those in serious and critical condition

The use of hyperimmune plasma from patients convalescing from COVID-19 began in Cuba in April of 2020 as one of the treatment alternatives to confront the pandemic.

15. The Ministry of Public Health’s action protocol

In May of 2020, Minsap published the National Action Protocol for COVID-19. In August, an updated version was issued to optimize patient care and reinforce the protection of health workers and the population. The latest version dates from January 2021 and includes newly developed protocols for high-risk and asymptomatic patients.

16. Recombinant Human Interferon Alpha 2B, PrevengHo-vir, Biomodulin-t and Itolizumab

Early on in the COVID battle, in February of 2020, recombinant human Cuba’s Interferon Alpha 2B, became known as one of the drugs used effectively in China against the coronavirus.

PrevengHo-vir, used as a preventive since April 2020; Jusvinza, authorized for emergency use; Biomodulin t, administered to older adults aged 60 and over, and Itolizumab, an anti-inflammatory treatment for COVID patients, have been key medications, developed and manufactured in Cuba.

17. Cuba achieves its first nanotechnology-based innovation, a PCR diagnostic kit

In February of 2021, the design and production of a PCR diagnostic kit, the first nanotechnology-based innovation developed by researchers at the Center for Advanced Studies, was introduced.

18. BioCen succeeds in developing the first transport medium for viruses manufactured in Cuba

In October of 2020, researchers at the National Center for Biopreparations (BioCen) developed the first virus transport medium manufactured in Cuba, intended for use in the collection and transportation of nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal samples from patients to be tested for the presence of SARS-COV-2.

19. Administration of Nasalferon to travelers and their families

Since January 7, 2021, the drug Nasalferon has been administered to travelers and their families arriving in Cuba, to strengthen their immune systems and prevent replication of the SARS-COV-2 virus. Today, its application is being extended to other vulnerable groups.

20. Volunteers provide crucial support at isolation and screening centers

Hundreds of thousands of young people have shown their solidarity by collaborating in isolation centers; in active epidemiological investigations in communities; in hospital red zones, and many other arenas of critical importance, including the Family Care System and food production.

21. Social security and unemployment protection

Under the humanist principle which distinguishes the Revolution, and in spite of the tightening of the U.S. economic blockade of our country and the negative impact of COVID-19 on the national economy, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security has implemented job and wage protection, social security and assistance measures to ensure that no Cuban is left unprotected from the epidemic’s impact on the economy.

Telecommuting and distance work were encouraged at full salary; while benefits were provided to workers 60 years of age and older; mothers, fathers and guardians with young children in early childhood, primary and special education, and other vulnerable persons.

More than 247,300 self-employed workers, whose activities were suspended, were exempted from paying taxes and fees, and benefits such as the extension of taxpayer registration, deferrals and suspension of taxes due for hired workers were adopted.

22. Implementation of national economic and social development strategy

A strategy to boost the economy and confront the crisis was approved by the Council of Ministers on July 16, 2020, under the principles of defending national production, encouraging exports and providing the enterprise sector with greater autonomy, among other elements.

As part of the strategy, President of the Republic Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez and his work team resumed government visits to the provinces.

23. Guarantees for safe tourism

In strict compliance with measures established for certification as safer and more hygienic tourist facilities, November 15, 2020, Cuba began the reopening of airports and the tourism sector, as the battle against the pandemic continued.

24. Food production promoted

Given the complex situation caused by COVID-19 and the Trump administration’s obsessive escalation of the economic blockade, food production has been a priority issue for the country’s leadership.

25. The challenge of commerce and services

Under the premise that no Cuban would be left without support, courier services, preparation of take-out meals and the delivery of essential products to quarantined communities were organized.

26. Computer applications to facilitate services

Several payment services were created in 2020 through e-commerce and point-of-sale (POS) terminals. In addition to mobile banking, Telebanca, ATMs and Transfermóvil, applications such as the Viajando and TuEnvío apk were introduced. For monitoring, control and information on the pandemic, applications such as COVID-19-Infocu and the virtual researcher were designed.

27. Cities on pause, but with uninterrupted transportation

Transport workers have been unconditional participants in the COVID battle, transporting patients and those suspected of infection to hospitals and isolation centers. They also guaranteed transportation for health personnel in areas where the epidemiological situation required the suspension of customary bus and cab routes.

They were responsible for the daily transfer of thousands of PCR test samples and persons who were stranded away from home by a worsening epidemiological situation.

28. Strategies to address the impact of isolation

From the field of social sciences, action was taken to provide support during isolation, including telephone advise via the Confidential Line for Life, and the 103 Help Line; the publication of self-help texts; and the active role on WhatsApp of therapy groups organized by the Cuban Psychology Society’s guidance section.

It was possible to maintain the vitality of the teaching-learning process at home, through the broadcasting of television classes.

29. Culture consolidated as the soul of the nation

Within the context marked by COVID-19, the tightening of the U.S. blockade and escalating subversive campaigns against our country, the Ministry of Culture and its institutions, far from being discouraged, expanded their work.

Given the postponement of large artistic events, nearly 200 concerts were broadcast online, while the Havana International Festival of New Latin American Cinema presented a selection of works on Cuban television, which has also added new family-oriented programs.

30. Athletes continue training for international competitions

With the risk of COVID-19 as a constant threat, and the decision to conduct the National Baseball Series without fans in the bleachers, and the play-offs in bubble mode, the season has been a great victory for Cuba’s sports movement during the pandemic.

With their sights set on the Tokyo Olympics, athletes and coaches have been obliged to resort to a variety of initiatives over the past year to get in shape for the 2021 Games.

31. Historic dates have not been overlooked

From doorways and balconies, online, in open spaces, or symbolically, the Cuban people have celebrated May Day, July 26th and the anniversary of the triumph of the Revolution, January 1st.

32. National Assembly legislative work advances despite the pandemic

The legislative schedule was affected in 2020, but standing committees continued their work. As a result, approved were laws governing the Foreign Service; recall of elected officials; the Organization and Functioning of the Council of Ministers, the President and Vice President of the Republic, Provincial People’s Power bodies, and that of Municipal Administration Councils.

33. Provocations and subversion financed by the U.S.

Over the last two decades, through several administrations, close to 250 million dollars have been allocated to a series of programs intended to destroy the Revolution. During the Trump administration, more than 240 hostile measures against the island were adopted, and those of 2020 were particularly aggressive, including the elimination of remittances sent from that country via Western Union, further restrictions of flights and the denial of access to medical supplies and donations.

34. Recognition from ALBA and Caricom for Cuba’s COVID strategy

Cuba’s regional response to the pandemic was recognized by foreign ministers participating in the xxi Political Council of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-People’s Trade Treaty, and later, by heads of state and government of the Caribbean Community (Caricom).

35. Preparations for the Party Congress advance

As announced, the 8th Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba will take place April 16-19. The historic event will focus its attention on evaluation of core issues and key projections for the present and future of the nation.

(Taken from Granma)

A report from that entity also states, as part of the tasks related to that objective, ensuring the training and assignment of the technical personnel to attend the mechanization, irrigation, drainage and water supply activities to the animals.

According to the document, among the main actions, some 1,150 pumping equipment with photovoltaic solar energy were introduced and put into operation, in order to guarantee the provision of this liquid to the animals.

About 15 road brigades were also established and field improvements and irrigation systems for the rice program were implemented.

Other measures are the integration of collaboration projects and donations with the national industry, for the use of the available capacities in the manufacture of agricultural machinery and irrigation, drainage and water supply to the animals.

(Taken from Prensa Latina)

More consistent growth, with an improved productive base, is an obligatory objective of government management in the pursuit of sustainable development for the present and future of Cubans.

This encouraging observation summarizes a recent article by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez and Mercedes Delgado Fernández, published on the Ministry of Economy and Planning website, under the title “Innovation-oriented government management: Context and characterization of the model.”

The text seeks to examine the exercise of government in a socialist society and specifically in Cuba, outlining a model that must be oriented toward innovation, with principles, components, management cycles and an evaluation system to serve this purpose.

Integrating economic, social and environmental dimensions

The text reaffirms a well-known thesis that has been established in other guiding documents: the Conceptualization of the socio-economic model for socialist development, the Economic and Social Policy Guidelines, and the National Economic and Social Development Plan through 2030, which constitute the foundation for the country’s vision, and along with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, combine the economic, social and environmental dimensions of the nation.

The article explains that to meet these goals, without discarding a multifaceted approach, government management requires innovation policies, stating, “Understanding the nature and dynamics of problems and processes is necessary… to take into account all stakeholders, the most relevant aspects for the country or region and their transformative impact on the economy and society.”

At the same time, the authors note, government policies must promote exports and the Cuban economy’s insertion in global value chains; the attraction of investment and an effective, efficient contribution to the economy by all productive and service sectors.

After citing Cuba’s accomplishments in the fields of education, health, sports, culture and social justice, they emphasize that, at this time, the economic battle is a priority for the country, a battle which must be won essentially at the local level.

“What we want is that harmony and development emerge at the grassroots, in the municipality, with intelligent, appropriate management, with proactive work, based on its needs and also aspirations, its experience, its culture, its productive potential and the talent of its qualified workforce.”

Results-based quality management

In developing this idea, the authors emphasize the importance of increasing citizen participation in decision-making and improving problem-solving capacity, essential elements in the management of public institutions and which, in turn, demand the implementation of the network model, legislative modernization and results-based quality management.

The document also addresses the role of the state as regulator of the market economy, and argues for a systemic and comparative approach, noting the urgency of making use of new technologies, and the need for a government that coordinates the entire spectrum of interests in a currently difficult context.

Policies and strategies designed by public administrations must be clearly focused, above all, to avoid disregarding possible innovations which broaden and facilitate access to information across the board, and especially in terms of promoting accountability, they point out.

Another related observation is that “E-government facilitates transactions between government agencies, as well as between enterprises and citizens to the benefit of quality services and transparency in the financial arena.”

In addition, the authors highlight new digital government efforts, which favor agility, user-centered design, data-driven decision-making, and horizontal platforms creating transformations in the governance model and the accountability process.

China’s experience

In the interest of learning from other experiences, the authors note that Chinese thinking on socialism with their country’s specific peculiarities, in this new era, according to its leadership, is focused on culminating socialist modernization and revitalization of the nation.

The objective is the comprehensive construction of a modestly affluent society, to achieve China’s transformation into a powerful, modern, prosperous, democratic, civilized, harmonious and beautiful socialist country by the middle of the current century.

According to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the economy has moved from a stage of rapid growth to a one of high-quality development, with supply-side structural reform for better quality, greater efficiency and consolidation of economic growth.

In the Chinese context, governance only focuses on basic questions regarding how to allocate resources among sectors, regions and organizations; what and how much to produce; and where and for whom to produce.

This approach is based on the development of an economy that is “dynamic, innovative and competitive, with institutional reform on the basis of creating new products and services of better quality, creating and applying new technologies, new materials, processes and products, as well as increasing productivity and the efficiency of resource allocation.”

Xi Jinping believes, the authors note, that innovation is the primary driving force advancing strategic development in the construction of a modernized economic system, with the unleashing and development of the productive forces.

Another quality sought in the immense country is social governance, which among other advantages promotes a common destiny for all of humanity and cooperation between countries and regions.

Díaz-Canel and Delgado likewise cited the theses of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam’s Prime Minister, Nguyen Xuân Phúc, who insists that the construction of a solid government, to serve citizens and enterprises, will help his country complete industrialization and national modernization. For this, he says, needed are great effort, innovative solutions, a holistic approach to public administration and effective preparation of public servants.

The article clarifies that in Cuba, socialist rule of law and planning are central components of the system for directing economic and social development, performing the essential role of projecting and leading strategic development, maintaining an appropriate balance between resources and needs.

To gain momentum, of course, “needed is preparation of cadres and the strategy adopted to promote the change of mentality required for implementation of the aforementioned Guidelines, the updating of the economic and social model of socialist development, as well as the construction of socialist rule of law, with a full legislative agenda based on the new Constitution of the Republic of Cuba.”

And another key idea is highlighted: “A change of mentality is one of the most difficult processes to achieve and is generally accomplished over the medium and long term,” something that local governments and the enterprise system must embrace in order to develop agile and efficient management.

Foresight grounded in science

As the guardian of the people, government administration requires foresight and coherent integration of plans, development programs and policies, with the active participation of all members of society. Establishing a model of management with a forward-looking approach, supported by science and oriented toward innovation, can contribute to sustainable development. Not to be overlooked are quality management models and computerized support tools to facilitate the in-house, participatory, innovative process of articulation of interests of all local actors and different levels of administration, based on the leadership of municipal governments.

Concluding their article, the authors assert that good governance is supported by principles, a coherent legal framework that is appropriate to the country’s context and needs, as well as institutional and strategic planning oriented toward innovation in government management and all areas of society.

Within this framework, the text summarizes that an integrated leadership, supported by information technology, is in a better position to comprehensively evaluate any task, no matter how difficult it may be.

(Taken from Granma)

Such a figure will benefit 690,000 hectares of crops, 100,000 more than in 2020, MINAG specified.

The use of bioproducts makes it possible to substitute part of chemical fertilizer and pesticide imports, in which the country spends large sums of foreign currency annually.

According to MINAG’s report, by implementing these strategy, an important contribution is made to protect the environment, so it is well protected against stress, and agricultural yields will increase 10 and 20 percent, contributing to sustainable development.

(Taken Prensa Latina)

Engineer Teobaldo Cruz Méndez, lead investment specialist at the Labiofam State Enterprise Management Group (OSDE), is in charge of a project following the footsteps of those first facilities, looking to increase the country’s production capacity for bioproducts approximately eight times over.

The investment plan includes three industrial complexes, located in Havana, Villa Clara and Granma, which are projected to meet practically the entire domestic demand for biofertilizers, biostimulants and biopesticides, in order to guarantee greater phytosanitary protection for crops.

A history of delays

The history of the bioproducts plant in Havana, still under construction, is much longer than it should be, repeatedly plagued by financial limitations and other problems that have unfortunately become commonplace in too many investment projects: delays, irregularities in planning and contracting…

Without passing judgment, briefly summarizing the course of the work is illustrative. At this point, 88% of the industrial erection has been completed and 99% of the civil works.

Teobaldo Cruz explained to Granma that plans for the Havana plant emerged in the first decade of the 2000s, that is, during that period the conceptual design and basic engineering were outlined, with a view toward manufacturing the bacterial control products Bactivec and Griselesf.

Some years later, however, it was determined that the facility could assume the manufacture of bioproducts, in addition to biological control products and Biorat to eliminate rodents and other pests.

This projection, very positive economically speaking, although delayed, began to take shape in 2012, a stage in which financial limitations began to have a stronger impact on the effort.

According to Cruz, the plant passed from one financier to another, until 2015 when the investment was resumed. From that time to date, the project has experienced a series of highs, lows and very lows in financial matters.

Nevertheless, beyond these tensions, the Havana facility still awaits completion of several subsystems and three fundamental systems, including electrical power distribution infrastructure, the waste treatment plant and the fire prevention system.

In the case of Villa Clara, fermentation elements are 65% complete, while work at the Granma plant is behind schedule.

Cruz reported that contracts have been signed with several Cuban companies to conclude work on the unfinished systems, which implies considerable savings.

“The total cost of the three plants comes to 50 million dollars and this collaboration with national industry has allowed savings of between 6 and 7 million dollars,” he emphasized.

Two examples suffice to illustrate the savings. The rice scale, originally projected to cost $80,000 USD, can be made in Cuba for $26,000, additionally allowing for savings of 60% in expenses for materials initially conceived for civil construction.

The rice washing system, on the other hand, projected to cost 886,000 USD, can be manufactured by Cuban companies for approximately half that amount.

If all these alternatives can be concretized, the Labiofam investment specialist, stated, the Havana plant will be ready, with a minimum of conditions, by the last quarter of 2021, and Villa Clara, by the third quarter of 2022.

Increasing agricultural yields with new technology

More than a plant, the Havana facility is an industrial complex, capable of producing, in addition to Bactivec and Griselesf, 12 assortments of biofertilizers and biopesticides, and is studying the introduction of others compatible with submerged fermentation technology.

Cruz is confident that the Havana plant will reach its nominal capacity of 5,800,000 liters of fermented broth, equivalent to 3,800,000 liters of finished products. But production will increase in accordance with, among other aspects, agricultural demand and anti-vectorial campaigns.

He added that, in the specific case of bioproducts, the program, which not only includes the Havana industrial complex, but also those in Villa Clara and Granma, could provide supplies for one to 1.5 million hectares.

In addition, the four existing facilities are currently undergoing a capital renovation process based on two fundamental premises: nominal capacity and industrial reliability, in order to achieve higher levels of both production and efficiency.

Today, Cruz estimates, the production of Labiofam’s four plants meets around 26% of the country’s total demand for bioproducts.

With the start-up of the new facilities, in addition to increasing production of biofertilizers and biopesticides, the enterprise plans to produce some 1,080 tons of Biorat per year, which will enable it to meet domestic demand and additionally export to other countries in the region.

Likewise, the production of the crop biostimulant Biobras 16, which can increase rice yields up to 25%, is also projected. Between the Havana and Villa Clara industrial complexes, the figures should reach 220,000 liters per year, the engineer reported.

The availability of these facilities, Teobaldo Cruz Méndez insisted, will, first of all, free the country from the need to import a considerable volume of products, and allow the Cuban industry to gradually develop a presence on the international market. In addition, the preparation of specialized technological packages for specific crops and planting seasons will be possible and, above all, the expansion will pave the way for our agriculture to develop at a higher ecological level.

IN FIGURES

The country produces today:

1,180 tons of biofertilizers.

1,200 tons of biopesticides.

LABIOFAM

2020 Plan: 568 tons of bioproducts, close to the volume obtained in 2019.

2021 Plan: 653 tons of bioproducts.

(Source: Labiofam)