On January 29, speaking during the 4th Plenum of the National Committee of the National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP), José Ramón Machado Ventura, second secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and a vice president of the Councils of State and Ministers, called on sector workers to increase agricultural production in order to satisfy domestic consumption and respond to the growing demand from the tourist industry.
We must produce more, stated the Cuban official, whether a little or a lot more, what we can’t do is let production decline, he noted.
We don’t have 100% of the resources we need, but the conditions are favorable to meet demand and fulfill our obligation to produce, he emphasized during the event which also saw the participation of Teresa Amarelle Boué, a member of the Party Political Bureau and secretary general of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC), and Gustavo Rodríguez Rollero, minister of Agriculture.
Machado Ventura stressed the need to adequately prepare for adverse weather conditions, as well as to gradually increase the Association's productive capacity.
We are aiming to increase the role of women in agricultural activities; we want them to feel like protagonists of the results achieved by the sector, noted Teresa Amarelle Boué.
Also reviewed during the event was progress made to meet the work objectives agreed upon during the 11th ANAP Congress. By the end of 2016, the organization had a reported 376,643 members; 5,228 more than in 2015. Of these 67,541 are women and, 28,959 young people aged under 30.
Last year saw 252 cooperatives benefit from 34 cooperation projects undertaken with 12 foreign entities. Efforts included increasing irrigation areas, using electronic systems or solar panels; supplying agricultural tools and the installation and launch of mini-industries and resources for livestock development.
