GAF
Camagüey aspires to livestock recovery in 2022
After a year of economic and social complexities aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic in Cuba and worldwide, where most of the productions and services were affected, the province of Camagüey ends 2021 with a slight recovery that augurs well. a 2022 with better results.
The intensification of the economic, commercial and financial blockade of the United States also had a significant impact on the processes for food production. Above all, fundamental agricultural lines, among them the identification livestock of this Cuban territory, already outlines - in the last two months - a sustainable increase in milk production, which is given by the application, although delayed, of some of the more than 60 measures approved to increase food production. Although objective aspects occurred with means and resources, subjective problems were also evidenced in livestock when achieving even with limitations, demands and greater controls in a branch where the lack of food, cow gestation, and livestock care, caused the drop in results that previous years were promising. Hence, the economic, financial and infrastructure improvement provisions that the country undertakes, have within their objectives to promote the recovery of bovine livestock in the medium term, and include that related to the authorization of slaughter, consumption and marketing and a system of prices that mean a greater stimulus to producers. To date, more than a thousand Camagüey producers have slaughtered 2,916 head of cattle for free sale, after fulfilling the state commission and other requirements that are taken into account to guarantee the growth of the mass, especially of the cows. which also favors the sense of belonging towards the care of animals and a sustained growth of livestock production. Since last November in Camagüey, the value of a liter of fresh cow's milk has been applied at 20 pesos, and in turn the overcompliance with food taxes is paid, through the payment in Freely Convertible Currency (MLC), which becomes an additional stimulus contained in the same way in the transformations that the nation is promoting today. More than four thousand farmers in the province have benefited so far with the new regulated payments, from the fulfillment and overcompliance of their fresh cow's milk productions. A total of 9,200 producers currently deliver milk in this region for the industry and the results close below expectations. The communities where the cooperatives are located have benefited from the authorization of the slaughter of livestock, and the peasants have contributed meat to hospitals and isolation centers linked to COVID-19, and brought their meat sales to Public Health personnel. Another of the programs included in the aforementioned group of measures promoted in the country and which is somewhat favorable at the end of the year, is that of the Agricultural Development Bank, which represents an incentive and economic support for producers and already shows a impact on the province, although it is expected to expand in 2022. Nadia Márquez Capón, head of the Department of Economy in the territorial Delegation of Agriculture, explained that at the end of 2021, 22 producers from Camagüey have benefited from the measures, including production bases and state entities that received financing, with an interest rate of 1 , 5 percent, of which the debtor pays only 50 percent and the other part is assumed by the State budget. Among the prioritized crops are livestock lines, the latter with financing for the improvement and fattening of cattle, and also rice, with more than 31 million pesos delivered. At the end of December 21, more than 90 million 087 thousand pesos from the Agricultural Development Bank have been authorized for credits, and it is expected to end in 2021 with 100 million pesos assigned to farmers in these domains. The country approved a total of 1.8 billion pesos in order to promote the production of pork, beef cattle, rice, banana, guava and cassava, and recently beans, potatoes and protected crops such as tomatoes were included. and cucumber. The Provincial Delegation of Agriculture in Camagüey and its dependencies have before them by 2022 the challenges of ensuring that producers take full advantage of this possibility as a source of financing, based on a greater approach and orientation to farmers, work in which Banks and others involved in the processes also participate.On the other hand, the organization works to insert more peasants into this program that seeks to increase essential agricultural productions in the province with the largest territorial extension in Cuba, for the benefit of the local and national economy, and especially of the food of the population.
