Presiding a review of agricultural programs being implemented in the province, Machado Ventura insisted on optimum use of all resources, to ensure savings, rationality, efficiency, and finding solutions to difficulties, while noting that whatever is valid now is here to stay, even when times of prosperity return.

He gave as an example the increasing use of biological means to control pests and diseases, and of local resources to replace chemical fertilizers, already standard practice for more than a few campesinos.

The province is committed to growing most of the tobacco produced in the nation, an important source of foreign exchange, as well as continuing to increase production and quality, but it is necessary to do so with higher yields, he noted, as a way of freeing fertile land for food production.

Vice President of the Republic Salvador Valdés Mesa, also in attendance, recalled that, in the strategy approved by the Council of Ministers to confront the effects of the pandemic, food production is cited as the first priority. He emphasized the importance of replacing imports that the country is unable to finance, and referred to measures being implemented to give producers more autonomy in the acquisition of resources, the elimination of unpaid debts, and greater access to credit.

(Taken from Granma)

Machado Ventura informed the Uruguayan delegation about the fulfillment of the agreements of the Seventh Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba, and the evaluation of the process of updating the Cuban economic model. He also provided details of the recent general elections and the creation of the Parliamentary Commission that will draft the proposal for a new Cuban Constitution.

The FA delegation is undertaking an extensive program of bilateral exchanges with Cuban authorities and organizations, in order to learn about aspects of the island’s political, economic and social reality.

Accompanying the distinguished visitor were José Bayardi, president of the FA’s International Relations and Affairs Commission, as well as Eduardo Lorier, ambassador of Uruguay to Cuba.
Also participating were José Ramón Balaguer, member of the Secretariat and head of the International Relations Department of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee, and other Cuban officials.

ELEMENTS OF INTEREST

The Broad Front (FA) is a political coalition founded on February 5, 1971, which has been in power in Uruguay since 2004.

At present it holds 50 out of 99 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, and is represented by 15 out of a total of 30 senators.

The Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) is profoundly grateful to the FA for its resolute solidarity with the struggles waged by the Cuban people, especially in the fight against the criminal U.S. blockade.

The relations between the PCC and the FA are historic and fraternal. The PCC maintains close ties with all the political parties and organizations that make up this Uruguayan coalition.

(Granma)

A dozen men and three women were presented this Sunday, April 29, with the honorific title of Heroes and Heroines of Labor of the Republic of Cuba, by José Ramón Machado Ventura, second secretary of the Party Central Committee.

The workers we award today summarize an almost anonymous labor of dedication, integrity and altruism, seeking to exalt the homeland, stated Consuelo Baeza Martín, member of the secretariat of the Cuban Workers’ Federation (CTC), during the ceremony held at the Laguito Protocol Hall, in the capital.

It is our duty to recognize those who have spent their lives producing, serving and creating, she added.

Among those awarded was Sarat Martín Iglesias, who has worked in the selection of tobacco leaves in the 13-18 Basic Unit of Cooperative Production (UBPC), in Pinar del Río, for 45 years. “This title is the fruit of sacrifice,” she noted, “and it has given me more strength to continue working and working for as long as I can.”

“I have dedicated my life to harvesting coffee. 12 or 15 cans a day,” noted Alexis Guevara Sosa, of the Manuel Sánchez López UBPC, in Guantánamo. “And while I am healthy, I will continue working for my country,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ramón León Monteagudo, an agricultural worker from Villa Clara stressed: “This is the biggest thing that has happened to me in the 50 years I’ve been working. And it is the greatest thing that can happen to any worker.”

José Ramón Machado Ventura, second secretary of the Party Central Committee, presented Anselma Betancourt Pulsan, professor at the Guantánamo School of Medical Sciences, with the honorific title of Heroine of Labor of the Republic of Cuba. Photo: Endrys Correa Vaillant
Also receiving the recognition were José Rubiera Torres, senior specialist in Meteorology; Eduardo Lozada León, head specialist of special works of the FAR Military Projects and Investigations Enterprise; Ricardo García Acosta, a driver at the Jagüey Grande School Bus Station; Valerio Hernández Pérez, a mechanic from Villa Clara; Juan López Palacio, professor of the Las Villas Central University; Rolando Jiménez Valdivia, a taxi driver in Sancti Spíritus; Francisco Rafael Martínez, typography inspector in Las Tunas; Salvadora López Riera, of the Sea Industry Basic Enterprise Unit in Granma; and the Guantánamo residents Anselma Betancourt Pulsan, professor at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, and Carlos Veranes Michel, a crane operator.

Ten workers also received the Lázaro Peña Order in the First Degree; a further 18 received the same Order in the Second Degree; and 16 received the Order in the Third Degree. Meanwhile, three workers were awarded the Jesús Menéndez Medal.

Likewise, the workers of the Architecture Projects Enterprise of Matanzas received the Lázaro Peña Order in the Second Degree; and those of the Felipe Herrera Arcia UBPC, the Agribusiness, Forestry and Tobacco Workers Union of Artemisa, the Sergio Soto Valdés Refinery, and the Sancti Spíritus Energy and Mines Union, were presented with the Jesús Menéndez Medal.

The event was attended by members of the Party Political Bureau Salvador Valdés Mesa, first vice president of the Councils of State and Ministers; Ulises Guilarte de Nacimiento, secretary general of the CTC; Roberto Morales Ojeda, a vice president of the State Council and Minister of Public Health; and Teresa Amarelle Boué, secretary general of the Federation of Cuban Women.

(Granma)

These were comments made by the Second Secretary of the Party Central Committee, José Ramón Machado Ventura, during a tour of productive areas in several municipalities of Pinar del Río.

Machado, also a vice president of the Councils of State and Ministers, warned that more important than increasing productive areas, is to raise agricultural yields. We have to use the land well, and make the most of it, he said.

The visit included plantations of tobacco and various other crops, where the leader was able to appreciate the use of modern technologies that allow greater efficiency and energy carrier savings.

Among them, the new Virginia tobacco curing chambers, located in Julián Alemán Basic Unit of Cooperative Production (UBPC), in the municipality of Consolación del Sur, which work with renewable energy sources.

Machado inquired as to the useful life of equipment and facilities that can run on rice straw, sawdust, or firewood, and thus considerably reduce the use of fuel, something that up to now has made production significantly more expensive.

He also exchanged with agricultural workers of the UBPC on the importance of systematically employing science and technology, and of creating the conditions to be able to fulfill productive commitments, independently of the behavior of the climate.

We will have moments in which it will rain a lot and others in which there will be drought, but the plans must be guaranteed, he stressed.

The tour also included areas of the Los Palacios Agro-Industrial Grains Enterprise, in which Machado witnessed the leveling of rice fields using laser and GPS technology, and the progress of this crop in one of the main cultivation areas in the country.

Another site visited was a former citrus processing plant, belonging to the Enrique Troncoso Agro-Industrial Enterprise, where Machado inquired about the alternatives to take advantage of this facility in other areas such as tomato and mango processing, in order to be able to respond to the growth of these crops in the province.

(Granma)

Machado Ventura, a vice president of the Councils of State and Ministers, ratified the commitment to remain faithful to the ideas for which the leader of the Cuban Revolution has struggled throughout his life and to keep alive the spirit of resistance and faith in victory that he has instilled through his example.

He recalled Fidel’s speech 30 years ago in the city of Sancti Spíritus, during which he described the complex circumstances of the time, which differ from today. However, the essential concepts expressed then, such as those on how to do things better, remain relevant today.

He cited Fidel that July 26, 1986, when he stated, “It is not worth advancing if what has been done is not consolidated,” and “Wealth will only come from work.” Machado Ventura also reiterated the certainty expressed by the leader of the Revolution that only a people who are able to overcome their own shortcomings, their own mistakes, a people who do not surrender to anything, will be an invincible people.

The ongoing validity of those thoughts, Machado Ventura noted, is a logical consequence of a Revolution that has consistently acted on the basis of its principles and that has advanced with a people who since 1959 have fought together with their leaders to achieve their goals.

We have made mistakes, but our people have rectified and overcome every obstacle, he stated, and stressed that a profound transformation implies effort and sacrifice, a daily struggle to realize every advance.

He explained that Fidel’s concept of Revolution has guided the updating of the Cuban economic and social model, and that this has been characterized, from the very beginning, by the broadest democratic participation, unimaginable even in those countries that purport to be champions of democracy.

Machado Ventura noted that this process began during the 6th Party Congress and continues with the current debate on the central documents approved during the recent seventh congress.

He highlighted that 22,241 meetings to discuss these documents have been already conducted since mid-June, when the process began, and that 704,643 Cubans have participated. These meetings have seen 359,648 interventions, from which 95,482 proposals have been collected. All, without exception, are aimed at consolidating Cuba’s socialism, to make it more prosperous and sustainable, he said. All changes to these guiding documents will be approved by the Cuban people, nothing will be imposed from abroad, he added.

The Second Secretary of the Party Central Committee recalled what life was like in Sancti Spíritus before 1959, offering the example of the infant mortality rate then, for which there are no exact figures, but estimates are of a rate of 60 deaths per one thousand live births. He emphasized that last year the province reached an infant mortality rate of 4.2, on a par with highly developed countries. He also noted that in the mountainous areas where the Turquino Plan is implemented, infant mortality is zero.

He said that in order to guarantee these rights and opportunities, which today appear normal and some take for granted, rivers of sweat and even blood were shed.

In his speech, Machado Ventura referred to the significance of Sancti Spíritus for independence hero Máximo Gómez, who led the “Reform Campaign” from here. He also recalled the resolve of the mambises who remained fighting in this area one year after the Pact of Zanjón.

He devoted some words to the significance of the legacy and symbol of Serafín Sánchez for the country, an example of the glorious tradition of the Cuban people, that of those who assaulted the Moncada, the Granma expeditionaries, internationalists and revolutionaries.

He likewise emphasized sustaining the work which won the province the honor of hosting the event, without losing time, without fanfare. It is a recognition of the province’s cadres, leadership bodies, and its people, of its daily efforts, and the consciousness of every working man and women, loyal to the Revolution’s principles, he said.

Machado noted that Sancti Spíritus has made consistent progress in agriculture, especially in dairy farming, while stressing that fulfilling a plan is not the same as meeting the population’s needs, or fulfilling one’s potential.

Working with dedication and intelligence, day after day, is what will allow this greater objective to be met, he stated.

He likewise noted that the province had met its sugar production goals, which most other provinces were not able to do this year, and addressed the potential for tourism in the region, given its exceptional beauty and historical assets.

He conveyed, in the name of the Party, the government, and all Cubans, well-deserved congratulations to the people of Sancti Spíritus for this demonstration of how any obstacle can be overcome when we work with responsibility and determination. In particular he congratulated Provincial Party Secretary José Ramón Monteagudo Ruiz, for his dedication to the fulfillment of his responsibilities and for finding ways to focus and direct the people’s energy.

Machado stated that is only fair to recognize these accomplishments, but more important to identify where problems exist, especially in terms of the economy, asking how much more can be saved, how much more can be done to establish order and discipline. This is fundamental, he said, under current circumstances, in which the blockade – that some believe has ended – aggravates other factors.

He recalled that the challenges we have before us were explained by Raúl, during the recent National Assembly of People’s Power, and a response to meet these was charted, reaffirming that there is no room for improvisation under current conditions.

Machado Ventura concluded calling on all compatriots to show, everyday in every workplace, with concrete action, that we will rise to the occasion to meet this new challenge, as the Centenary Generation did, and as so many other generations of Cubans have, at different times during our homeland’s history.

(Granma)

Speaking with the press, the leader recalled that drought conditions affected the planting of cane and led to reduced projections for this harvest throughout the country. Nature is still not cooperating, and now that the production process is set to begin, rain is slowing the ripening of cane in the fields.

Despite these limitations, which are beyond control, working with the greatest responsibility and intelligence possible should make equaling last year’s level of production possible, Machado Ventura said.

Liovys Mesa, director of the Sugar Enterprise in the province of Granma, emphasized the successful start-up of the Enidio Díaz mill, one of the most consistent in the country. The state enterprise has projected the production of 140,000 tons of sugar this year, an 18% increase as compared to 2015.

(Granma)

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)