The agricultural authorities of Las Tunas place their hopes on the productive pole of Fleitas so that as of this year it will become the great supplier of bananas to the provincial capital.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- This agricultural enclave, located in the municipality of Manatí, began to be exploited less than a year ago and its plantations are already lush in the around 300 hectares planted, especially with chunky banana, and to a lesser extent, plantain and dessert banana.

In exclusive to the Cuban News Agency, Alberto González Fernández, director of the Integral Agricultural Company of the province, highlighted the excellent development of what has been planted to date, which is due to the commitment of usufructuaries linked to the entity and the quality of the soils, which have good drainage and a deep vegetal layer.

Also - the manager added - work experience has taught us that it is counterproductive to create agricultural poles without having enough water, hence Fleitas is close to the Ciego-Yariguá dam complex, with a filling capacity that exceeds 30 million cubic meters of water.

This allows, for now, to exploit the gravity irrigation system through channels, until the technology is approved that is responsible for exploiting both reservoirs with the greatest possible water rationality, through the drip system, machines with reels and pivot, for which a project is ready.

González Fernández meant that the first bunches should see the light next May, but the massive harvest will be from August, at the rate of 20 tons per hectare, according to calculations.

The businessman explained that the areas planted up to now were specified in clean lands, or with slight weeds, but the aspiration to reach almost a thousand hectares is a more difficult path due to the abundant presence of marabou, for which resources are required, about everything, fuel.

Years ago, Fleitas belonged to the Las Tunas Sugar Company, which exploited it through parcel drainage; now, this entity, the flagship of the economy in the province, has on its agenda to work in cooperation with Agriculture, with the commitment to cultivate another 100 hectares of banana and plantain varieties.