CubaPLUS Magazine

The development of Cuban agroforestry products such as coffee, honey, as well as caring for the environment, among other issues, was highlighted today by directors of these areas in Cuba.

During a press conference in the Ministry of Agriculture (Minagri) of this city, a team of experts explained details of such.

They said, for example, that coffee production has recovered with 8,100 tons in plan and 8,220 tons collected last year, which represented 101 percent compliance.

However, the program for this 2019 is nine thousand tons of coffee, and for the next year they plan to obtain 10 thousand tons, which is perfectly possible, said the director of coffee, cocoa and coconut of the Agroforestry Business Group (GAF), Alexis Legrá. They also noted a recovery in the eastern Cuban region, particularly in the area of ​​Baracoa, affected by cyclones, and which is the axis of agriculture dedicated to cocoa and coconut. The GAF manages the Mountain Agriculture Business Group that was created on July 17, 2000 by the Ministry of Agriculture. This entity develops forestry, henequen, coffee, cocoa, apiculture and coconut productions, and includes scientific research centers linked to these productive activities.

To achieve such performance, they said, the Group has 48 companies and two research centers, of which 40 are classified as agroforestry, four are coffee processing companies, one is apiculture, another is natural fibers, and one is for technical services. In this structure they include a productive-cooperative base, and integrated producers in 206 Cooperatives of Small Farmers (CPA), 436 Cooperatives of Credit and Services (CCS) and 310 Basic Units of Cooperative Production (UBPC). In addition, they said, the structure has 28 state farms. In the area of coffee there is a new program to grow it on plains instead of mountainous land in various provinces, at a rate of over 1,500 hectares of this crop. Coffee in Cuba is grown mainly in the eastern mountains of the country. The GAF panel was integrated by forest management specialist, Raquel Palacios, the commercial director of the Cuban apiculture company, Martha Casanova, and the research director of the beekeeping institute, Juan Carlos Pérez. The director of the agroforestry institute, Humberto García, and the director of development, Ana Isis Zulueta, also commented on this development. This specialty, they explained, has strong economic effect due to the measures announced by the United States against Cuba (commercial and financial blockade), especially in the field of forestry development.