These took place between May 27 and June 25, and were guided by a document entitled “Ideas, Concepts and Guidelines of the 8th Party Congress,” which was examined and approved by the Political Bureau on May 22, and served as the central axis of discussion in meetings held by the country’s leadership with some 2,600 Party members across the nation.

The text summarizes key concepts presented by General Raul Castro Ruz in the Central Report, the closing speech by the current First Secretary, and documents approved by the three 8th Congress commissions. Also included is the agreed-upon update of Policy Guidelines, a document which, along with the National Plan for Economic and Social Development through 2030 and the Economic and Social Strategy, constitutes the core of the Cuban Revolution’s current work, in addition to the Constitution of the Republic approved in a 2019 national referendum.

Following the Secretariat’s meetings with territorial leaders to establish fundamental lines of work – summarized below – contributions and debates will continue this month in the Central Committee and Council of Ministers, as well as within leadership bodies of mass organizations, the Young Communists League and the National Assembly of People’s Power, Díaz-Canel explained, with a view toward ensuring “the collective implementation of the Congress, and establishing a work system that supports the fulfillment of its precepts by all grassroots organizations.”

ISLE OF YOUTH

-Produce at the local level. In the case of the Isle of Youth, its integral development model represents an experiment for the country and should also serve as an experiment for the implementation of 8th Congress agreements, given its characteristics.

-More effectively support new economic and social model. The Communist Party must, in an organized manner, alongside the people, guarantee historical continuity.

-Debate in local units everything that can contribute to development, through the execution of a correct cadre policy, as a guarantee of the continuity of the Revolution.

-Get things done, but make sure to communicate well. Social communication must be timely and accompany in a precise manner all actions taken.

PINAR DEL RÍO

-Defend unity by eliminating dogma, combating prejudice, confronting all vestiges of discrimination.

-Maintain ties with the masses, increase militancy and intransigence.

-Encourage the participation of youth, strengthen the work of their grassroots organizations, and ensure that Party members’ agenda coincides with the public agenda.

-Feel the need, as the vanguard Party, to immediately analyze any problem or concern that arises, resolve it or find a solution in collaboration with responsible authorities.

-Convert into concrete results the ideas, concepts and guidelines of the Party Congress.

-Maintain the authority of the Party on the basis of the prestige gained through our work, confronting the country’s problems together with the people.

-Revitalize popular mobilization; promote the use of science and innovation, the computerization of all processes, and social communication as pillars of the Party’s work.

ARTEMISA

-Expand interaction with scientists and experts who can contribute to agricultural activity, especially in identifying exportable items and increasing food production, to avoid importing what we can produce here, one of the country’s strategic issues.

-Within mass organizations like the Federation of Cuban Women and Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, generate debate and assume leadership in addressing vital issues, including gender violence, the role of the family and social equity, while unleashing the untapped potential existing on every block, accompanied by the impetus of youth.

-Pay attention to expanding livestock ranching, the sowing of animal feed, control of land use and the appropriate exploitation of land under irrigation.

HAVANA

-Mobilize the Party’s moral authority, the legacy of the historical generation, in the immediate solution of the country’s problems, because this is what the people expect. We must achieve, first of all, the availability of food, which we can produce here.

-Resolutely combat speculative prices, and intelligently confront crime and corruption, as well as subversion and enemy campaigns.

-Depend on our own efforts and talent; and in the ideological battle we must provide forceful, intelligent answers, far removed from vulgarity and hatred, but with firmness. Adversity cannot stop us, or discourage us.

-Assume responsibility for growth in the Party ranks as the most important organizational process, based on the exemplarity of our members, recognizing meritorious revolutionary citizens before the society.

-Maintain as our fundamental objectives the happiness and welfare of the people in everything we do, both ideologically and economically, as the essence of socialism.

MAYABEQUE

-Evaluate local potential for the creation of micro, medium and small enterprises, as new economic actors to create jobs and production chains to give more value to raw materials, actions which should be encouraged by the Party as part of its role in the economic battle, monetary re-ordering and the development strategy.

-Dynamize the economic strategy and coordinate efforts to expand food production, reduce imports, increase exports, use agro-ecological and scientific techniques to replace fertilizers and other expensive inputs purchased on the international market.

-Mobilize thinking with a view toward containing COVID-19 outbreaks, to allow for summer activities.

-Correctly execute budgeted activity and control resources.

-Improve articulation of public communication work, without improvisation, establishing coordinated relations, to better integrate messages, in both the traditional and virtual realms, to make political-ideological work more effective.

MATANZAS

-Ensure that cadres speak from the heart to the people, and are distinguished by their revolutionary dissatisfaction and sensitivity to the problems of the Revolution. Their discourse, orientations and dialogue must be connected to the demands and problems of the population.

-Avoid bureaucratism and routine in Party work at the grassroots level, appealing to the people to participate in the principal tasks and, with special emphasis, promote the work of mass organizations, which are obliged to revitalize their activity, letting nothing that affects the community be alien to them.

-Make local units vibrant spaces where all members feel committed and eager to engage in honest, profound, enriching debate, to find solutions to problems with the participation of the membership and the rest of the population.

VILLA CLARA

-Always keep the truth as a premise in approaching Party work, at any level, no matter how hard it may be, as Fidel taught us. No matter how harsh the discussion, the first place it must occur is in the local unit, among members.

-Ensure that work to expand the Party ranks is dynamic, creative and that membership serves as a stimulus for youth and their families. We must ensure that members feel proud of belonging to the Party.

-Consolidate the role of the Party in the agricultural sector, vital to promoting our food and nutritional sovereignty plan and municipal self-sufficiency.

CIENFUEGOS

-Increase ties between Party leaders and local units, and based on this close relationship, learn and stay informed of essential issues, take the country’s pulse. This connection allows us to later make analyses to confront and solve problems.

-Defend, in the work of cadres, the use of language that is on a par with that of who resist on a daily basis, in factories, at construction sites, polyclinics, doctor’s offices, schools, and fields, ensuring that institutional discourse matches the people’s agenda.

-Accelerate the cultivation of idle lands, encourage planting and develop agricultural poles.

-Ensure that members of the Young Communists League go on to join the Party ranks, a step that must be understood as a natural transition, in accordance with the political commitment of each individual.

SANCTI SPÍRITUS

-Expand, with the Party at the forefront, the creative resistance of the people on all work fronts, demolishing obstacles, and brushing aside bureaucracy that slows development.

-Strengthen measures to control COVID-19, which, combined with vaccination, will make it possible to protect human life and reactivate the economy.

-Continue denouncing the blockade, which prevents us from receiving foreign currency and credits, and do so with concrete examples of its impact.

-Communicate our truths; work in communities and neighborhoods, to assist the most vulnerable.

CIEGO DE ÁVILA

-Explain that monetary reordering is being blamed for problems that were going to be present with or without the changes. Shortages are a result of the blockade, more than anything else; and shortages lead to inflation.

-Root out everything that causes division and promote unity in all we do. Political and ideological subversion is designed to discredit the Revolution and divide us.

-Confront abusive, speculative prices effectively at the local level, in municipalities, independently of measures adopted at the national level.

CAMAGÜEY

-Strengthen the performance of grassroots organizations, which should help to create a favorable environment for sincere, honest and productive debate, avoiding superficiality and routine responses in the analysis of problems.

-Consolidate the internal life of local units, as a dynamic force in completing tasks everywhere. This can be achieved by general secretaries who are distinguished by their preparation and leadership capacity, not only their human qualities.

-Promote mass organizations’ leadership in all community activity, fully aware that it is not possible to continue doing things in the same way to consolidate an atmosphere of unity and collective contribution.

-Perfect ways of acting, controlling and demanding in a context that is not at all similar to previous moments of the Cuban revolutionary process.

-Consolidate every achievement in agro-food activity, resist setbacks, eliminate conformity, reject vacuous explanations and justifications, and promote new motivations and the desire to get things done, among cadres and workers.

LAS TUNAS

-Bring to life what is written in the Economic and Social Development Plan, direct economic actors toward local development and remove whatever hinders the advance of productive forces.

-Conduct ongoing debate with youth, providing them the space they deserve and have earned, facilitating their participation in all decisive tasks.

-Make up for delays in spring planting and prioritize attention to the recovery of sugar cane.

-Support quality teaching and professional development.

-Struggle with the concept in mind that we are not only going to survive, and are not only resisting, but resisting, as we have done in other moments, in a creative way, which means resisting, but at the same time continuing to advance, without stopping and without renouncing prosperity in our country, as we have projected in our vision of the construction of socialism.

-Ensure that all technical-economic objectives of agro-food programs are met, specifically the production of nickel and its export, and increase the processing and export of zeolite.

-Continue improvement of tourist facilities and the extra-hotel network.

-Create the necessary conditions to ensure the opening of the high tourist season, should the pandemic situation allow.

GRANMA

-Ensure the implementation of agreements and guidelines of the Congress through a comprehensive projection, which contemplates the systematic preparation of cadres, the application of science, close links between the Party, the people and mass organizations, as well as regular follow-up of economic activities, encouraging the development of local potential and endogenous resources.

-Strengthen the role of municipalities in developing productive and economic processes with the purpose of not only resisting, but also advancing and improving the population’s quality of life.

SANTIAGO DE CUBA

-Take the political discussion to the entire membership, to workplaces in the community, to ensure that revolutionaries know the content of the documents that were debated at the Congress, the resolutions approved and the directives that specify where we need to go.

-Keep the Congress alive, making sure that everything that is done has impact in productive centers, among different economic-social actors, mass organizations and the Young Communist League. That work at the community level is marked by the understanding that allows us to perfect our society and advance toward the construction of a more prosperous future and greater happiness for our people.

-Promote the production of oxygen and nitrogen; increase production of corn and beans to satisfy the demand of the largest grain processing plant in the country; accelerate the development of the coffee program and improve attention provided.

GUANTÁNAMO

-Denounce the economic blockade as the main obstacle to national development, and resist with our own forces and intelligence, reducing imports and increasing exportable items.

-Insist that success will depend on our capacity to defend the work of the Party as the political vanguard, from our local units, as a place for honest and participative debate directed toward finding solutions.

(Taken from Granma)

The government visits to different regions of the country, led by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, have been invigorating work days and included lively conversations with workers and residents.

This was reaffirmed during the summary meeting concluding the President’s second government visit to Holguín, when he expressed satisfaction with his tour of the sugar cane harvester factory “60 Aniversario de la Revolución de Octubre,” popularly known as the KTP, where productive chains have been developed that contribute to the Azcuba state enterprise group and other companies affiliated with the Ministries of Agriculture and Construction.

Regarding the development of the new cane harvester CCA 5500, he noted the need to produce this machinery for the country and the export market, while proposing evaluation of possible foreign investment options, to give the project a wider scope and greater sustainability.He likewise called for extension of the experience gained here to the design and production of harvesters for rice and other crops, also mentioning the possibility of manufacturing a machine to clean beaches and remove sea weed.Díaz-Canel also recognized the potential of the “26 de Julio” Agricultural Implements Factory, which provides another example of developing productive chains and the potential to supply both the domestic and foreign markets.He highlighted the work done at this factory to develop a wide range of equipment for rice production, and said that instructions have been given to design and manufacture – independently or in conjunction with others – machines required by the rice processing industry, including mills and dryers, to avoid importing these, as is currently the case.

(Granma)

Baracoa’s beauty and traditions must be preserved, insisted Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, President of Cuba’s Councils of State and Ministers, as he conversed with residents and authorities in this municipality, during a government visit to this eastern province, which also took him to Maisí.

The President’s tour began at the Rubén David Suárez Abella chocolate factory, a facility inaugurated by Che and now immersed in a modernization process that will allow production to be tripled, offerings diversified, and quality improved.

The investment is linked to the cocoa development program, focused on recovery of plantations severely damaged by Hurricane Matthew, and optimal industrial processing of harvests.

Díaz-Canel insisted that the industry must also work to develop export lines, commenting that basic cocoa products must be given added value, and in this way generate more income.

He asked about training of workers to efficiently operate the new equipment and about packaging.

The new Toa River Bridge, completed with the solidarity of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, was the second stop of the President’s tour. Photo: Twitter
Project manager and technology expert Ríder Londres said that these aspects have been taken into consideration, explaining that the civil engineering works should be completed in December, which will allow the erecting of equipment to begin. Production is projected to begin in May, while the entire modernization will be completed by August of 2019.

Considering Ríder’s explanation, Díaz-Canel commented that transportation of equipment in storage at the port of Boquerón must be speeded up.

The brand new bridge over the Toa River, completed with the solidarity of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, was the second stop of the President’s tour, where he called on the Ministry of Construction to extend the use of technology employed here across the country.

Standing on the bridge, Díaz-Canel took note of a house on a nearby hill built with cement block, palm wood, and a tin roof, a model used to construct hundreds in the province, mainly in Baracoa and Maisí.

As they contemplated the powerful Toa, locals told him of the longstanding tradition preserved here of holding a raft festival at the site every summer.

The delegation, which included a number of ministers, deputy ministers, and authorities, also visited the Maraví asphalt plant, which is in the final phase of adjustments prior to start-up.

Díaz-Canel learned that the first batches of asphalt produced here are destined for the Baracoa-Moa highway and a section of the Baracoa-Maisí road suitable for inverted pavement.

Project manager Carlos Ávila Calzadilla and Minister of Construction René Mesa Villafaña offered the President a detailed explanation of the highly automated, semi-mobile plant, based on Chinese technology.

The group also visited a nearby sand mill which was beginning the first phase of start up within a few hours. The plant will be able to produce 25 cubic meters of sand per hour once full operations are underway.

The President’s last stop in Baracoa was the coconut shredding facility, where he conversed with workers and, once he had observed the production process, suggested that a study be conducted of Cuban industries that use the product, with a view toward guaranteeing a secure market.

He commented that uses for coconut water could also be found, and emphasized that selling finished products with added value is what the country needs.

Upon leaving the plant located in the Turey neighborhood, Díaz-Canel was greeted by cheering residents who said they were proud to welcome him to Baracoa. He took time to attend a few persons with concerns, mainly about the housing issue.

I’m enchanted with Baracoa, so many pretty sites, some of the most important rivers in the country, he said, and noted that he had learned of interesting experiences in Cuba’s first villa.

A salute to Baracoa, the President concluded, may it always be so beautiful.

PUNTA DE MAISÍ

Students and teachers at Alfredo de Jesús Noa Secondary School were the first to receive the Cuban President in Punta de Maisí, where ninth-grade student Helen Fernández, accompanied on guitar by Roelvis Guzmán, performed the song “Cabalgando con Fidel” for the President.

In his dialogue with the students and staff, Díaz-Canel asked about study conditions, computer media, and sports.

“President, we would like to welcome you,” said an older resident of Maisí, as she gave him a kiss, a move repeated many times by others, who expressed their affection and recognition in front of the school.

In Punta de Maisí, Díaz-Canel held an ample conversation with the population, focused primarily on housing.

He recalled that the homes of thousands of families were damaged or destroyed during Hurricane Matthew, and that all of the situations could not be addressed at the same time. “Progress is being made,” he said, “You can rest assured that a solution will be found for all.”

Addressing families who continue to wait, he said that within a few days a delegation led by the provincial government’s president will visit Punta de Maisí to evaluate each and every case.

“What a President! He listened to everyone!” said a resident, thankful for the Revolution’s work in Punta de Maisí, where over the last two years, public works have included a solar photovoltaic park, a retail store, a mini building materials plant, a tourist facility, and a sand mill. Telephones have been installed in many homes and potable water distribution has improved, among other social projects including the remodeling of many homes through the Venezuelan project “Barrio Nuevo, Barrio Tricolor.”

Díaz-Canel also visited a settlement of petrocasas, built with materials based on petroleum products, where 46 families are already living in their new homes.

Seven-year-old Armando Vizmar Mojena took the President by the hand and led him to his house, a gesture much-appreciated by the head of state, who asked the boy which was his room.

Díaz-Canel also visited a Youth Computer Club and a cultural complex in the area, and upon leaving these sites, stopped to talk with the population once more.

“Díaz-Canel, Maisí is with you, come again,” was the farewell given the President in Cuba’s easternmost municipality, where he concluded his visit with a tour of the Punta de Maisí tourist center.

The President continued his working visit to other sites in Guantánamo, accompanied by Rafael Pérez Fernández, Party Central Committee member and first secretary in the province, and Nancy Acosta Hernández, president of the Provincial Assembly of People’s Power.

(Granma)

This truth was reflected in his continuous exchanges with workers in different sectors and the population, during his visits to the Jardines del Rey resort area, the Ceballos Agro-industrial Enterprise, and the La Cuba food processing company; in debates on the proposed new Constitution he attended; and during his tour of the capital’s downtown boulevard and the Hotel Rueda, while participating in its official opening with Minister of Tourism Manuel Marrero Cruz.

On the last day of his government visit, Díaz-Canel interacted with students and professors at the Raúl Corrales Fornos Pedagogical School, one of two such institutions in the province, with a student body of 522 young people being prepared to teach in early childhood, primary, and secondary education.

Here he held an animated conversation with several students, who shared their personal experiences with the President, including one whose parents resisted her decision to become a teacher, and who now works at the Raúl Corrales School; and a young teacher who said she was ready to leave the school, but after having direct contact with students, came to love the profession.

A mobile Youth Club computer lab made stops in 19 rural communities over the summer. Photo: Estudios Revolución
“This is evidence that shatters the view of those who think that youth are not interested in the teaching profession. We have seen here, through your stories, a palpable example of the social impact these educational centers have today,” Díaz-Canel stated.

Minutes later, he would tweet: “I was deeply moved sharing with professors and students at the #CiegoDeÁvila Pedagogical School. Beautiful life stories that expressed passion for #Cuba and commitment to the #RevoluciónCubana. #SomosCuba #SomosContinuidad.”

Next he moved to the city’s park, where a Wi-Fi internet connection is available, and parked was a van serving as a mobile Youth Club computer lab, which this summer made stops in 19 rural communities in all of the province’s municipalities – resources that contribute to the computerization of Cuban society.

He also visited a “recycled” playground, where the equipment was constructed using discarded materials including metal and non-metal parts, wooden elements, and old tires, showing just how much can be done when untapped potential like this is taken advantage of, he noted.

Near this area, the President dialogued with sugar industry workers, discussing the next harvest and the construction of a bioelectric generating plant at the Ciro Redondo Sugar Mill.

Later, he presided a final meeting devoted to evaluating progress being made in the implementation of development programs in Ciego de Ávila, along with First Vice President Salvador Valdés Mesa; Roberto Morales Ojeda, a vice president of the Councils of State and Minister; Félix Duarte Ortega, Central Committee member and Party secretary in the province; and Raúl Pérez Carmenate, president of the provincial government, who reported on social and economic statistics related to progress in the province.

The first person to take the floor, following the report, was Minister of Economy and Planning Alejandro Gil Fernández, who focused on an issue that some may have considered insignificant: the surpassing of projected goals for earnings.

“It’s not a bad thing that you have earnings, especially if they are the result of an increase in productivity, but it’s good to make careful estimates and include this potential in the economic plan, to the benefit of the country and the enterprise itself.”

He likewise emphasized the necessity of increasing export lines, noting that the potential exists to do so, mentioning the Ceballos, Cubasoy, and La Cuba food processing companies, and the Turiguanó cattle breeder, all agriculture enterprises with excellent scientific and productive capacities.

Upon hearing the concerns of managers and workers from the Ceballos enterprise that they only receive 17 cents for every dollar in exports they produce – an obstacle to development and increased investment at the plant – Gil Fernández stated that this situation will be submitted to a thorough review.

Regarding outstanding accounts payable and receivable, an ongoing problem in the province, the conclusion was drawn that all of the causes are subjective, and that their resolution depends on managers and the steps they take to confront this predicament. The President insisted, “Money that belongs to others must be paid immediately:”

During another moment, Inés María Chapman, a vice president of the Councils of State and Ministers, referred to the work of the province’s Physical Planning Department, directing staff to adopt measures to speed up processing times, since 222 cases are currently overdue, also noting problems in the training of personnel and “very poor working conditions,” especially at the municipal level, she said.

Other sensitive issues did not escape attention during the discussion, including delays in investment projects at the Ciro Redondo Sugar Mill’s bioelectric plant, the East-Central Water Diversion Canal, and in the production of construction materials; the repair of water pipelines and sewer systems; and the poor condition of elevators in the city’s 12-story apartment building.

(Granma)

In Cayo Coco, he received a detailed explanation from Sergio Ramón Ricaño Pérez, government representative in charge of the development program focused on the barrier islands north of Villa Clara, Ciego de Ávila, and Camagüey, where according to plans, 69,926 hotel rooms for international tourists will eventually be available.

Ricaño reported that in the case of Cayo Santa María, north of Villa Clara, the construction program “is reaching its conclusion.” With 13,084 rooms planned here, 10,572 are already in use.

Díaz-Canel asked Iyolexis Correa Lorenzo, representative for the Ministry of Tourism in Ciego de Ávila, about preparations for the coming high season, set to begin November 15. She explained that work is underway to ready 900 rooms; to review plans with suppliers; train workers with a view toward raising the quality of service; and consolidate management of investment projects to ensure that works are finished on time.

After the introduction, Díaz-Canel and his delegation which included Félix Duarte Ortega, Central Committee member and Party secretary in the province, several ministers, and vice presidents, proceeded to Cayo Guillermo to visit the hotel Pilar I (a five star-plus facility with 245 rooms) which is in the final stage of construction, set to conclude next month.

The group’s itinerary included the Turiguanó Genetic Enterprise, with the country’s largest herd of Santa Gertrudis cattle – the second largest in Latin America – which suffered major damage during Hurricane Irma last year, when the eye of the storm passed over the area and devastating winds hit facilities. The staff has been immersed in an extensive recovery plan to continue their work to genetically improve this cattle breed, raise purebred bulls, and produce meat, to be sold primarily to the country’s tourist resorts to reduce imports.

The visit continued to inspect fruit processing lines at the Ceballos Agro-industrial Enterprise, praised by Díaz-Canel in the month of May, when he noted the company’s efforts to create a closed production cycle, from fields to the processing plant.

Plant manager Rodolfo Morales Pérez reported that an investment project was begun in 2000, initially directed toward increasing reception capacity, juice and puree production, evaporation capacity, aseptic handling, and packaging for natural juices and tropical fruit purees.

In addition to these improvements, lines devoted to preparing canned tomato paste and fruit purees were expanded, allowing for increased efficiency since higher volumes of fruit can be handled in less time – a much needed step given the growth of agricultural production in the area.

Described by specialists as one of the best organized investment projects in the province’s agricultural sector, the company’s plans include the acquisition of clean technology to achieve more rational and efficient use of energy.

The President’s delegation also visited the Cubasoy Agro-industrial Enterprise, one of the largest in the country with more than 15,000 hectares under cultivation – principally corn, beans, and soy, a reality that has implied the need diversify production.

He spoke with leaders at La Cuba production site, calling on them to prepare a market study as soon as possible, to expand exports, as established in the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment’s agreement 352/2017, saying, “This is the image of development we want in agriculture,” visibly pleased by the efforts of workers and management at this productive emporium.

The President of Cuba’s Councils of State and Minister returned to Ciego de Ávila just two months after a working visit to review progress being made in the Turquino-Bamburanao rural development plan, and the municipality of Florencia, where he evaluated damage caused by subtropical storm Alberto.

(Granma)

He learned that currently under cultivation across the country are 8,321 hectares of vegetables in intensive small urban and suburban farms.

Another 461 hectares are devoted to medicinal plants in 142 farms that raise 42 species for the Ministry of Public Health.

Díaz-Canel commented on the importance of abiding by established agricultural practices to ensure good harvests, including attention to the quality of seeds and preparation of soil.

With the goal of generating 24% of the country’s electrical energy with renewable resources, a number of investments are underway to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and contaminating emissions.

By the end of this year, Cuba should receive 4.75 million international visitors, while this figure is below initial projections, the sector made a laudable effort despite weather contingencies and additional restrictions imposed by the United States on visits from that country.

Díaz-Canel also toured key sites in the province of Pinar del Río, including Hermanos Saíz University, commenting that the objective of his regular visits to local areas and dialogue with the population is to help resolve problems at this level.

(Granma)

(Granma)