The Antonio Guiteras feed factory, belonging to the Tecnoazúcar base business unit (UEB), in Las Tunas, stands proud for its new projects and machinery, the result of the innovation of its group, whose fundamental premise is to produce food with local raw materials.

In response to the height of the circumstances that the country is experiencing, in the face of the intensification of the economic blockade and the scourge of a pandemic that has limited foreign trade, this unit has produced from the beginning of 2020 to date more than 750 tons of feed for fattening pigs, based on formulas 36 and 39, mostly made up of soybeans, corn and bran.

In dialogue with 26Digital, the engineer Jorge Luis Pérez Ochoa, head of the Brigade, stated that in the last period the workers develop investment and management processes in order to increase the feed for the pigs. Equipment is also perfected to shorten distances through the mechanization of the manufacturing processes and, correspondingly, contribute to increased productivity, which can reach up to 20 tons per day.

He stressed that its main raw materials for the production of feed are local and burnt beef bones and oyster shells are added, ingredients with which they obtain the calcium phosphate that is incorporated as a nutrient.

In that order, he emphasizes, that “we are already dealing with the elaboration of fishmeal to add to animal feed, with the use of non-commercial sizes from fishing and aquaculture establishments in the municipalities of Amancio, Puerto Padre and the Juan Sáez reservoir, located in the territory of ‘Jesús Menéndez’."

The expectations of this group go much further. The idea of turning it into a productive scientific pole guides their daily work. In order to develop the production processes with the use of science, they are fed by the University of Matanzas, directly with the Indio Hatuey station, “who advise us on scientific news such as the development of multi-nutritional blocks for large and small livestock, more now that our company has a large sheep and rabbit mass and we must respond to it with a good diet."

Training in these matters and the improvement of the machinery are also done "with the aim of achieving a higher quality of the aforementioned block to substitute imports and, in the future, also introduce ourselves in the export of this highly demanded component in the international market,” Pérez Ochoa stressed.

As a novelty in scientific matters, and also having the collaboration from Indio Hatuey, “we also venture into biochar for the preparation of rock flour, an initiative that is already taking its first steps and is consolidating, as some samples have been sent to the laboratory of the Ministry of Energy and Mines, with the purpose of evaluating the level of existing mineral and thus adding it as an important nutrient in the feed,” he advanced.

"IF WE HAVE ‘THE IRONS’, WE HAVE IT ALL"

The machinery is the result of the innovation of those who operate it there. The manager says that "with much sacrifice and dedication we managed to recover a forklift, declared irreparable, in order to further humanize the work and save time in production."

The warehouses that will store the raw material and the finished feed are already in the completion phase by the investing parties, and together with the Metal Structures Company, a drying polygon with a movable roof is set up in the plant that has the advantage of cover its contents at night and when it rains it is not necessary to collect the materials.

“In addition, a hydraulic press, a cassava slicer and a hammer mill for cassava powder will be set up; and so on we will be incorporating more automation and machinery to this unit, because if we have ‘the irons’, we have everything; with that, we already have the fight won,” the Brigade chief said.

The Antonio Guiteras feed plant has started with its own effort and the results achieved support it. Now, its horizons also include an oil extractor machine. A newly created area that motivates them to continue “pulling forward”, since with it they obtain sesame, sunflower, soybean oil, and even okra. “It was necessary to make this extractor plant because the oil is essential for the absorption of the other nutrients in the feed and helps its correct digestion,” explained Jorge Luis.

Anyway, they don't stop because the goals are very clear, "turning this feed plant into a combined production complex and becoming a scientific productive pole," concluded this man who along his group shows the desire of make their best for food production.