HAVANA, July 18 (Jesús Zúñiga) – The Cuban Minister of Agriculture outlined accomplishments and shortcomings of the agricultural sector in the ministry’s annual report given here last week, and blamed the U. S. embargo and the climate for most deficiencies.
The minister, Alfredo Jordán, said that production of rice, grains, milk, citrus, honey, eggs and wood are up, although not to the necessary levels. He also said that due to the embargo and to adverse climatological conditions, production of vegetables, and meat from cattle, pigs and fowl
had decreased.
Jordán pointed out that the drop in cattle production had stabilized, but that "one cannot speak about recovery yet." His remarks were reproduced by the weekly "Business in Cuba" which is distributed only to foreign businessmen in the island.
The vice minister, Onelio Borroto, issued a call to administrators to "sell meat and sausages to tourists in order to help raise agricultural production, which has fallen to its lowest level in years due to lack of financing."
Sources close to the sector say that the theft and illegal slaughter of cattle, which have not decreased much with respect to last year’s figures, and the low numbers of breeding females, are the principal causes of the decrease in production.
Versión original en español
CubaNet does not require sole rights from its contributors. We authorize the reproduction and distribution of this article as long as the source is credited.
|