The first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) and president of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, is visiting the northern municipality of Puerto Padre. His journey continues what happened last January, when he was in Manatí, and is part of those that he has been carrying out since the start of the year to evaluate compliance with the work priorities outlined for 2024.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- Roberto Morales Ojeda, a member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of Organization of the PCC Central Committee, accompanies him.
The tour began at the Feed Factory and then continued through other sites of vital economic importance.
Miguel Abreu Larramendy, director of the Tecnoazúcar base business unit, emphasized that after the interruption of the entry of feed into the territory, due to the intensification of the U.S. economic blockade more than four years ago, the entity assumed the commitment to create two varieties of the animal food, and today they achieve proven positive results.
"We are engaged in producing dry feed through circular economy. We use wastes from the Fishing and Dairy companies, and the benefits of protein honey and others from the sugar industry.
"Currently, we add oyster shell to guarantee calcium and have achieved a more balanced formulation that is deficient at the country level."
The manager commented that they aim to continue growing corn and soybeans to produce around 50 tons of animal food intended for reproduction and the first fattening stage.
He also explained that five tons of liquid feed are guaranteed and they have the challenge of increasing production to double the pig mass, above 1,500 specimens, from which they manufacture meat; although -he clarified- it is not considered a finished product, but rather a raw material for larger quantities of sausages and other meat masses.
The feed factory has a strong movement of innovators, which allows it to transform and create technology for both productive lines.
The link between the "Antonio Guiteras" and the University of Las Tunas has made it possible to increase professional skills and better use science and technology in pursuit of food production.
Díaz-Canel was interested in the production routines, exchanged with workers, and commented that the factory makes good use of local resources in search of the sustainability of the Tecnoazúcar company, in a place that had to reinvent itself from scratch.
He also praised that the plans are carried out with zero imports and recommended achieving greater autonomy and searching for alliances with new management forms.
IN THE COLOSSUS ANTONIO GUITERAS
In the morning, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez and Roberto Morales Ojeda also toured the Antonio Guiteras agro-industrial company, the main sugar industry in Las Tunas.
The Colossus of the Cuban Eastern Balcony began the current harvest on January 20, one month after the planned date. Until now the "Guiteras" has produced 2,848 tons of sugar, accumulating a delay of almost 23,000.
The “Colossus” is currently milling at only 50 percent of its potential capacity, hindered by the lack of fuel and lubricants, its managers reported; also, 60 percent of the cane is recycled, which does not guarantee to obtain the necessary quantities of sugar, they pointed out.
However, Díaz-Canel warned about the poor quality of the repairs, which -he noted- also caused unexpected stops in the industry. "Don't lose heart, we have to review what else can be done," he told the workers.
DÍAZ-CANEL VISITED “CARÚPANO”
As part of his tour, the President of the country exchanged with the workers of the Carúpano base business unit, belonging to the Central-East Port Services Company.
The president was interested in the routines of the Port Terminal and encouraged diversifying economic activity to achieve greater income.
Miguel Salas Silva, director of the company that encompasses this enclave, explained that Carúpano closed last year with economic losses, mainly, due to the decrease in sugar cane production.
Walter Velázquez Jorge, head of the UEB, specified that in the past calendar, only eight ship operations were carried out and of these, only half were exports; a very different panorama from that of five years ago, when around 60 operations were carried out, which guaranteed profits for the company and the workers.
Velázquez Jorge emphasized that, right now, they are engaged in searching for alternatives, such as renting labor force and equipment and exploring five hectares of land to plant short-cycle crops and reduce food costs.
The president urged to continue promoting strategies to guarantee economic improvements and exploit the potential of the dock, which has certification and eight meters of natural draft, which makes it optimal for port operations.
