Almost two months after the launching of monetary re-ordering, one of the most complex economic processes ever conducted in the nation, President of the Republic Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez commented, "We have been working hard, we have followed up on every proposal, one by one, discussion by discussion, and we have rectified actions that did not work out well."
During the evaluation conducted at the most recent meeting of the Council of Ministers of the initial results of the broad transformation, Díaz-Canel reaffirmed the government’s ongoing willingness to analyze everything undertaken, "The daily work system has not been dismantled, and we must continue making adjustments related to a number of issues in order to ensure that the Ordering Task functions."
March should be a month of consolidation, the President said, of getting closer to order in its purest, most transparent expression. "But we must work hard and learn lessons, because we are going to continue facing complex processes like this, in these times, especially in the economic arena."
He reflected on the need to seek more participation from experts whenever an important measure is to be adopted. When dealing with a task of this complexity, it is necessary to bring to the table those who know the most about every one of these issues.
"Life has taught us that no single one of us has all the truth, we must increasingly work as a team, we must consult the knowledge of experts more often, more and more we must seek disagreements in debates of what we are going to design," the President insisted.
During the meeting of Cuba’s highest government body, in which several issues of the economic and social life of the nation were discussed, Díaz-Canel commented on elements of the re-ordering process that had failed, including the training of those in charge of its implementation, and insisted on the importance of ensuring a sense of responsibility among cadres who must prepare themselves.
"We must all be dissatisfied with what we know, we need to be studying, looking for references, other opinions, evaluating, because all of this involves lots of complexity; we are living in very complex times." We must set an example and demand preparation from our subordinates, he said.
Given the irresponsible manner in which certain well-designed aspects of the re-ordering were implemented, such as the case of high prices charged in workers' lunchrooms, the President criticized the lack of sensitivity and revolutionary concern that was evidenced in some managers.
"Cadres like ourselves must be concerned about everything that affects the Revolution, and we must be dissatisfied, upset when something is done badly, proactive and sensitive to the population’s problems; as the Army General (Raúl Castro) has told us on several occasions: keep our ears to the ground, listen, act and don’t allow problems to accumulate,” he reiterated.
Díaz-Canel also referred to communication problems; delays and bureaucracy that hinder processes; and the need for economic analyses to always begin with a focus on greater efficiency, as opposed to increasing prices to cover the cost of inefficiency.
In his reflections on these issues with the Council of Ministers, the President noted that economic deformities and bad practices, which have existed for some time, are being associated with the Ordering Task. Likewise, he added, disagreements have emerged based on poor explanations to workers about decisions which later, when they were presented more clearly, were well received and understood.
In addition to all this, he concluded, there have been complaints that suggest moving away from with the essence of the re-ordering, which are unacceptable, including those, for example, related to maintaining subsidies.
The President reiterated that the Ordering Task defends social justice, but not egalitarianism. Greater justice is not attained by subsidizing everything, but rather by protecting the most vulnerable and those in need.
A necessary process, for the better
More than 52,790 individuals have found employment since the implementation of the Ordering Task began last January. Sixty-two percent are in the state sector, and of these, 72% have been employed in the enterprise system.
This increase in the number of Cubans seeking jobs, and the fact that most have found work in the productive sector, where wealth is truly created, are among of the principal achievements of the re-ordering process thus far, according to Marino Murillo Jorge, Party Political Bureau member and head of the Permanent Commission for Implementation and Development of Policy Guidelines, who presented a report on the initial results of the Ordering Task.
He stated that the process of eliminating the convertible peso (cuc) is advancing at a faster pace than expected, and to date, 57% of this currency in the hands of the population has been collected.
Murillo also described as positive "the effect of exchange rate unification, since distortions were revealed in the economy’s foundation that we did not see before, issues that we lived with and are now recognized as problems."
Another important element is the transformation of the country’s system of subsidies and gratuities, which has allowed us to identify and better serve vulnerable groups, he said, while noting that progress is being made in the correction of imbalances in wages and prices, as well as in the decentralization of authority to determine these.
Murillo also referred to problems related to the implementation of the Ordering Task, most of which were identified on the basis of opinions expressed by the population, which required immediate attention to make sure they did not lead to deviations from the planned effect of these measures.
Among these, he cited excessive prices, in both the state and non-state sectors; insufficiencies of the economy, which led to raising prices to compensate for these; the lack of correspondence between quality and new prices; dissatisfaction with salaries or income, as well as with the forms of payment; and uneasiness caused by limited information and the initially small number of stores that accepted transactions in CUC.
Some of these errors, Murillo stated, were associated with the design of policies. At the same time, another group of issues were generated by poor application of what was designed, insufficient preparation, negligence, low expectations, lack of supervision and political insensitivity.
Referring to these issues of vital importance to the country's development, Prime Minister Marrero Cruz noted that government visits made to the provinces had been very useful, providing an opportunity to learn about experiences, mistakes and complaints at the local level. Since then, he said, solutions have been found to more than thirty issues raised in meetings that took place during the tour.
He emphasized, as a matter of concern, the lack of information available to workers, especially in the enterprise system, and the need to strengthen communication within entities, and also to the population, in order to clarify doubts and alleviate tensions in workplaces, generated by misunderstandings of explanations given.
“We are certain,” the Prime Minister stated, “that this is a necessary process. Regardless of dissatisfaction, it is for the better; there should not be the slightest doubt. I believe that we have made progress, but we cannot say that we have reached the end, we have issues pending that need to be defined, on which we must work quickly, to seek the normality we need.”
Compliance with the plan will not be waived
Deputy Prime Minister Alejandro Gil Fernandez stated, during the monthly meeting of the highest government body, that the country "is going to adopt all measures to ensure that we meet projections in the Plan of the Economy, and guarantee the growth rate we set for the year, which is objective and achievable with work and collective effort."
While reporting on the performance of the Plan at the end of January, he recalled that the month had been marked by the implementation of the Ordering Task; the battle to contain a resurgence of COVID-19; and the deficit of market supply, which was also affected by the intensification of the U.S. blockade against Cuba, with more than 200 coercive measures imposed on our country last year, along with relentless financial persecution.
The Minister of Economy and Planning reiterated that, apart from this hostile policy, in order for the Cuban economy to take off this year and reach the growth rate we have forecast, it is essential to control the epidemic.
He explained that work is being carried out to update the Economic and Social Strategy, with priority given to structural transformation of the enterprise system, strengthening of municipalities, food production, export incentives, the implementation of measures to strengthen the state enterprise, generation of jobs in the productive sector, attention to the vulnerable, expansion of the non-state sector and price stability.
Addressing details of what occurred in the first month of the year, Gil Fernandez reported that 91,300 tons of food, vegetables, citrus, grains and fruits were delivered, surpassing projections in the Plan, but well below the real demand. Taking into account estimations that have been made," he commented, "it is necessary to produce 154,000 tons per month to guarantee the distribution of the 30 pounds per capita that we have proposed.”
As another positive sign, he noted that the projection for the generation of electricity in January was 1,536 gWh, but 1,376 gWh were actually consumed. Related to this issue, he added that comparing this to consumption during the same month last year, it can be seen that usage at that time was 1,549 gWh, meaning 11% less, which is considered an effect of the Ordering Task, conservation and decreased consumption by the population.
He described as favorable what happened during the period under evaluation in relation to increased employment, an indicator that has also characterized the month of February.
The great challenge we have in this regard, he stressed, is to generate quality jobs in all sectors of the economy, for which various policies are being implemented.
Reflecting on issues that characterized the Cuban economy in January, the Prime Minister emphasized that this year will be complex. We have a Plan to implement, he said, and within the priorities that have been defined in the Economic and Social Strategy, those related to the transformation of enterprises and the development of municipalities need to develop greater momentum. These are two important aspects that we are going to further strengthen, he stated.
Answers for the Isle of Youth
Also approved during the Council of Ministers’ work session was a comprehensive development program to address problems that have accumulated on the Isle of Youth over the course of several years, which cannot be solved entirely within the region.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, Jorge Luis Tapia Fonseca, the purpose of the strategy designed is to promote the economic and productive development of the territory, strengthening infrastructure that will serve as a basis for increasing production in general, with emphasis on food.
The plan also proposes to diversify services available, promote the generation of jobs, create local development opportunities and strengthen the community system as the territory’s articulating axis.
To achieve the autonomy of the Isle’s special municipality, he explained, required are interaction between different economic actors and entities; the achievement of strong productive chains; and the promotion of the territory’s most dynamic economic sectors, with the participation of the population.
At the same time, he stated, a broad training process has been conceived for administrators - in both government and the enterprise system - on local development, management techniques and tools for the medium and long term projection of innovation, quality control, and productive and service processes.
Speaking via videoconference, Mayor Adiel Morera Macías described the Plan as urgently needed for the development of the special municipality, with an impact on all economic and social sectors, and noted that the potential as well as limitations which currently characterize the Isle of Youth are well defined.
What remains, he said, is for leaders and the population to devote all our intelligence and resources to implementing the plan to achieve the development we need, with our own efforts and the help of the country's leadership.
The Prime Minister recalled that a similar plan was created some time ago, but for a variety of reasons, implementation was not adequately monitored and, as a result, the Isle of Youth did not advance in its development, and problems continued to accumulate, many of which were noted during the national government’s visit in November of 2020.
This territory, Marrero insisted, must serve as an example for others in terms of municipal autonomy, and today it is not; we are far from that, he said, the situation has deteriorated, especially in food production. The challenge is to work hard and see what we can contribute to the economic and social development of the special municipality.
We must get to work, take action based on new ideas and innovations, not letting the problems overwhelm us, and also taking advantage of the many lessons learned in efforts that went well in the past, he concluded.
Workplace childcare centers
Production centers and service providers were granted authority to open children's houses on their premises by the Council of Ministers, during the monthly meeting, as a variant for institutional early childhood education, for children whose mothers, fathers or guardians work at the site.
As explained by Minister of Education Ena Elsa Velázquez Cobiella, these are entities that, given their economic conditions, are in a position to allocate funds for such facilities.
The expansion of this modality of educational attention, which has been promoted in the country since 1993, will allow for greater stability of the workforce in production and service centers. As a significant element, she noted that while 38 “casitas” were in operation at workplaces in 2004, caring for 1,520 young children, the number has decreased to 16, with only 453 children registered.
Among the guiding principles approved along with the decision, Velázquez emphasized that the centers, although necessary, will not replace the country’s system of children's circles, and can only be established by entities that can assume the cost of their operation with their own resources.
Entities proposing to open childcare centers, she emphasized, will be responsible for selecting the premises, providing furniture and meeting all materials needs, as well as ensuring compliance with hygienic-sanitary requirements established for the care of the children.
The Minister clarified that the same educational program developed for children's circles will be followed in these centers, and that the teaching staff will be provided by the Ministry of Education, which will be responsible for their preparation, training and professional development.
More on the agenda
During the Council of Ministers meeting, a green light was also given for the creation of the National Institute of Territorial and Urban Planning, as a Central State Administration Agency, with the range of authority demanded by such a vital matter for the country. This new institution will replace the current Physical Planning Institute (IPF).
Thus, IPF president Samuel Rodiles Planas explained, Physical Planning territorial directorates (municipal and provincial) will be directly subordinated to the new national structure, a decision which, among other benefits, will allow implementation of state policy to be more rigorously enforced and effectiveness supervised.
Also evaluated during the meeting was progress in the program focused on development of high-protein plants for animal consumption, a subject regularly reviewed by the Council of Ministers. According to María del Carmen, general director of the Science, Technology and Innovation Coordinating Committee for High-Protein Plants, responsible for the program, more than 17,730 hectares of this type of fodder have been planted, a good indication of progress, but insufficient to meet the country's needs, especially given plans to further develop livestock farming.
Despite the effort made, Pérez reported, the usefulness of these plants in animal feed is not adequately known or understood; deficiencies continue to exist in attention to this issue on the part of agricultural enterprises; increasing the production of seeds on the local level has not been possible; and inadequate selection and management of areas to be planted continues.
To address these deficiencies, she stated, several measures have been adopted that should lead to a better use of this important, necessary source of animal feed. For example, 224 dairy farms have been selected across the country, where innovations will be implemented with the support of universities and research centers.
The Council of Ministers also evaluated how policies to improve of the National Auditing System, approved three years ago, have been implemented, which, according to Gladys Bejerano Portela, Comptroller General of the Republic, have allowed this important work to be recognized as a priority and given adequate attention by administrators.
