By surpassing the figure of one million liters of milk delivered to the dairy industry, the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Credit and Service Cooperative (CCS), in the municipality of Las Tunas, repeats the feat it achieved for the first time in December 2020.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- "Now we celebrate this event; but it is not the end of the activity because the plan amounts to one million 200 thousand liters and we are committed to making it happen, despite many limitations caused by the U.S. blockade against Cuba."

These words of Yordanis Montejo Vargas, president of the production unit, are collective and summarize the will to "give more than what we have". They are also a reflection of the intense work that goes from the corrals and paddocks to the cooling thermoses.

In the area of Cuatro Caminos, and beyond, reaching the southern coast, it is common to see the associates engaged in the transportation of milk; sometimes - the least - in tractors and most of the time in horse-drawn carriages, oxen teams, bicycles, and other alternatives.

Yaíma Cano Téllez, president of the grassroots organization of the National Association of Small Farmers (NASF), says that these results were made possible by constant visits to the farmers and accompanying actions in various processes, such as contracting.

"All tasks require a lot of effort, sacrifice, and responsibility. Even more so here in our country, where the blockade imposes us to think to solve the needs. We look for alternatives and the goals are met, but it is the work of many people."

Jajielkis Oliva Pérez, one of the producers, gives an account of the strategy, very well designed in the cooperative. He assures that the success is due to the unity that exists between all the associates and the CCS board of directors, which gives satisfaction and obliges them to increase production.

Nersa Pérez Vargas, also a producer, gets up early, tends to her animals, and milks them. After leaving the herd in the paddock, she spends a few hours of the day carrying the milk collected by other farmers. This makes her feel proud and willing to multiply each task.

Other examples could be mentioned among the 85 farmers of the "Carlos Manuel de Céspedes", who have in common the responsibility for the destination of the milk, the handling of the dough, and the guarantee of pasture and forage in more than 90 percent of the farms.

Among them, there are friendship and mutual benefits, as they exchange knowledge and sometimes bulls so that pregnancies go smoothly and the offspring are born with greater productive capacity. The same happens with seeds to generalize the best varieties of animal feed.

"The idea is to ratify the unit as a leading cooperative in dairy production," said Montejo Vargas, "and that is why now the fields are growing sugar cane, King Grass, mulberry, and moringa and genetic improvements are being sought with the zebu breed, characterized by its yields and resistance to drought.

"Right now, we farmers are upset because there are delays with the payment in freely convertible currency and also because of the increase in crimes of theft and slaughter of livestock. These are two problems that hit us hard; but, we are still in production, which is what our country needs."