Even though progress is being made and there is much willingness to do, farmers in Las Tunas have the great challenge of continuing to providing more food; now, with a package of measures that seek to stimulate production and, at the same time, boost marketing, two keys to the socio-economic development of the territory.

Las Tunas, Cuba - For the delegate of Agriculture in the province, Yoel Martínez Vargas, although there is a difficult economic situation, exacerbated in the context of the pandemic, "we do not abandon the productive plans and with our feet on the ground, we move forward. There are many agricultural potentialities that we have not yet taken full advantage of and, in the face of contingencies, we are working for a dynamic link between the productive forces and the companies of the Agricultural System.”

Managing innovation and ensuring that productive supplies are the result of the strengthening of local systems, including the productive poles, is in the sights of those who give birth to plots of land. "The need to plant more to achieve sustainability, and take advantage of all the potential, is a determining factor in the current season of various crops. A decisive stage for the coming months, in which we will put the greatest effort to achieve the planned objectives."

Martínez Vargas notified that, now, the most important task for the sector is the implementation of the 63 measures approved by the country to boost food production. "These are not the same times, the agricultural activity requires a transformation and the impact will not be seen until it is taken to the producer, which is the common denominator in the regulatory package.

"Much progress has been made here but it is urgent to speed up these mechanisms so that their impact is more noticeable. For example, the farmers of Las Tunas are already inserted and chained with different markets to obtain their inputs. More than 228 producers and all the beekeepers have accounts in freely convertible currency (MLC, by its acronym in Spanish), and several are accumulating this currency for their benefit. But its full impact has not yet been achieved, because many are owed credit and that is where we have to make more progress, eliminating the obstacles that arise along the way", he explained.

He considered the new marketing policy to be of vital importance. "It is a necessary the impulse for agricultural development; more than a concept, it is the closing of the cycle of the productive process and makes that whoever produces has direct access to commercialization.

"In our territory, it is still incipient, but there are already signs of this implementation; at the same time that we have achieved the creation of more than 400 new points of sale and the leasing of 52 markets, among companies, cooperatives, and individual producers. This, undoubtedly, is due to stimulating, even more, the productions,” he said.

The measures also speak of the investment process and progress is being made in this direction. "The new strategies linked to irrigation systems is one of our priorities -the delegate emphasized. We are immersed in the assembly of two machines, acquired by a Saudi credit, for 100 hectares dedicated to various crops."

On the other hand, the executive pointed out that six poultry farms are being recovered to generating self-sufficiency in egg production; while, in the south of the province of Las Tunas, they are speeding up the mechanisms to start up, in the short term, an industry for the processing of vegetables and fruits.

Food production in the current context of the COVID-19 is marked by the contribution of farmers. "Cooperatives, peasants, state enterprises of the Cuban Agricultural System constantly deliver part of their production to isolation centers and health entities to improve the nutrition of patients and workers of these facilities; thus support the Cuban State in the fight against the pandemic. The willingness of each farmer is also shown by the fact that many times they have been able to respond within hours to food needs for the accelerated opening of isolation centers," he said.

At a time when agricultural production has been limited by lack of resources, the crisis generated by the pandemic, and the weather setbacks that are not lacking, those who defend the land are not discouraged. "We have to work with what we have, putting science and innovation to agriculture, and sticking to the producers," Yoel Martínez said.

"The main problem today is food production and we are not advancing steadily in correspondence with that need and urgency. We have to give more in the implementation of these revolutionary and transformative measures, and we are already on that path. The objective will always be to achieve their impact on producers, companies and, fundamentally, the people.”