GAF
Potato planting with agroecological practices in Pinar del Río
Among the reasons that limit the planting of potatoes in Cuba is the lack of financing to acquire the technological package that this crop requires, an investigation by the Indio Hatuey de Matanzas Experimental Station, proposes alternatives.
Pinar del Río is part of the implementation and will plant 10 hectares (ha) whose attention will be exclusively with agroecological practices, this was announced by Ortelio Rodríguez Perugorría, director of various crops in the provincial delegation of agriculture. He explained that they selected a group of advanced producers, who have irrigation systems in the areas where they will plant the tuber, pointed out that they will not be large extensions, only one and even half, to guarantee that with the workforce that the peasant can offer the care that the sowing requires. Organic matter will be incorporated into the soil and he insisted that it is very important that they do not violate the procedure, because sometimes they have a chemical from another crop that had the support of these products left and they allocate it to others that do not have it, in this case it would falsify the results of the experience, with which it is expected to obtain around 10 tons (t) per ha. They chose areas in Consolación del Sur, Los Palacios, La Palma and Pinar del Río, also taking into account the variety of soils, the ideal thing would have been to cover all the municipalities, but the availability of seed is insufficient, they are using the Paradiso variety, resistant and high yields. Future strategies, if positive results are to be obtained, would be for each territory to harvest potatoes for the consumption of the population at a rate of about 15 pounds per inhabitant. The first plantings are carried out in the Hermanos Barcón productive pole, where the bulk of these plantations will be, given that with those of 2019 they had excellent results. Orlirio Almora Morales, director of various crops at the Tobacco Collection and Benefit Company (ABT) Pinar del Río pointed out that, in addition, this productive structure will participate in the peasant experience of the Agustín de la Cruz and Fructuoso Rodríguez cooperatives.
