The President acknowledged the effort made by rural teachers. Photo: Estudios Revolución
Los Palacios, Pinar del Río.— "I am very glad to have been here," said the President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, from the Tierra Brava farm on Thursday morning. And he had understandable reasons to share the expression in that productive universe of the municipality of Los Palacios, in the province of Pinar del Río.
That farm -belonging to the credit and services cooperative (CCS) Niceto Pérez- was not the first point in the itinerary of the Head of State's visit to Los Palacios; but, undoubtedly, it was a very inspiring example seen on the day, on account of which Díaz-Canel said: "We must ensure that in the province this experience is extended to all producers".
Accompanied by the member of the Political Bureau and the Secretary of Organization of the Central Committee of the Party, Roberto Morales Ojeda, the dignitary commented that it is not difficult to take the other producers to the farm: "Bring them here to see how they have managed the credits, how they have sought international financing. This experience must be known at the country level".
In Tierra Brava, where there is a variety of crops and banana, cassava and fruit trees predominate, things have not always gone well.
However, the results are more than tangible today, since they have a rich seed bank there; they have diversified production, have a remarkable social reach, in addition to exporting spices, and want to do the same with nuts.
"They have done it in the most complicated moment", acknowledged the President, who affirmed that in view of experiences such as the one of the farm "one can say that crises generate solutions".
"In the midst of the crisis they have achieved this, and that is the model of agriculture that we need, that is within our reach, where science is again the one that provides the answer to innovation, where new technologies are applied." The President highlighted the way in which "the process of bankarization is being used, bank credit is being used, people are improving their lives and young people are being attracted".
Producer Onay Martínez Díaz has led the way in Tierra Brava. He commented to the President his concept that, "if the cooperative owns the seed, it has a strength; therefore, to recover the Cooperative we had to recover the seed, and we worked with the research centers and with the varieties that we have been identifying in any place, which are the most resistant."
VIETNAMESE FRIENDS IN THE FIELD
"There is a commitment that in the shortest possible time Cuba can be self-sufficient in rice, from assimilating your techniques and knowledge, with your cooperation," said the president to a group of Vietnamese who live in the municipality of Los Palacios and together with Cuban producers, in an experimental investment project that the largest of the Antilles is carrying out with a company of the Asian country.
"We have come here to support the Cuban Homeland," said a young Vietnamese woman to Díaz-Canel, upon arriving at the basic business unit (UEB) Semillas Cubanacán, belonging to the Los Palacios Agroindustrial Grain Enterprise, where the experimental project is taking place.
The Asian friends decided to build a 16-hectare experimental structure, which is now planted. So far this year, some 300 hectares should have been sown; and it is foreseen that, in the same area, next year, a thousand hectares will be sown -part with Cuban seed, and the other part with Vietnamese seed.
"We have to study well the behavior of each seed we use," commented the dignitary, who advocated a direct and systematic interaction between the producers of both nations, so that friends with ample experience can raise all their concerns.
To the members of the UEB, the Head of State reminded them of the importance of such a productive structure having results and reversing any inefficiency: "You, he said, are part of a prioritized program of the country, in cooperation with Vietnam. This is one of the fundamental ways we have to achieve food sovereignty."
SANTA MÓNICA, A HEALTHY COMMUNITY
With some 450 inhabitants and 245 houses, the Santa Monica community, in Los Palacios, has experienced changes that have impacted it for the better. This is what is known these days as a neighborhood in transformation, where there is a family doctor's office (previously non-existent), a bakery (also newly acquired), and a cooperative whose main activity is agriculture.
According to what Diaz-Canel was told by the delegate of the 22nd district of the Paso Real popular council, Emilio Fernandez Prieto, there was an accountability assembly in the community, in which the main concerns of the inhabitants were the issues of the road, transportation, water supply and the state of one of the nearby bridges.
At some point, the President wanted to know about the people who are out of work, and whether alcoholism or other drug use is taking its toll there. Regarding the latter, someone assured that these negative phenomena are not harming the community of Santa Monica. Faced with such reality, Díaz-Canel enunciated with satisfaction that it is a "healthy community."
"THESE SCHOOLS ARE CHARMING"
A special meeting took place at the Clara Zetkin rural school, in the Santa Monica community, where the president spoke to the children about World Children's Day: "All of you have now been summoned for a debate in the detachments," Diaz-Canel told them.
And he added: "So, in those assemblies you have to see how rights are being protected, and where you believe there is a violation of rights you also have to denounce it; and the teachers, the institutions, have to help solve those things."
The President wanted to know if they have audiovisual equipment, if they have computers, if the television set works, if the new books have arrived.
The teachers commented that the texts are very beautiful and very instructive. At this point of the dialogue, the President told the children: "When I come to this kind of schools, I think a lot that my mother was an elementary school teacher, in rural schools, she was a teacher for more than 25 years and she always worked with multi-grade centers."
He also acknowledged that "the effort of rural teachers is very commendable; and wherever one goes, in any part of the country, there are beautiful, orderly schools like this one. These schools are charming."
WORDS TO THE PEOPLE OF LOS PALACIOS
"Every month, in each province, we visit a different municipality," said Díaz-Canel to the people of Los Palacios, to whom he explained that "we do it on the basis that, in the midst of the current situations, which are very complex, we have to be able to move forward."
On a particularly sensitive issue such as the electricity service, the Head of State said: "This situation is very complex. Yesterday was a hard day for electricity, the level of blackout in the country was very high."
In this regard, he referred to "the situation we are presenting with the deterioration of the plants," and told about encouraging projects, such as the use of renewable energy sources.
THURSDAY AFTERNOON IN ARTEMISA
The province of Artemisa was the second scenario to which the President dedicated his visit agenda this Thursday. The first point, in the municipality of Guanajay, was the People's Council number one, in the community of Cayao, where a brigade from the province of Camagüey was working to restore electric service facilities.
When the President arrived in the territory accompanied by Roberto Morales Ojeda, the first secretary of the Provincial Committee of the Party in Artemisa, Gladys Martinez Verdecia, updated the country's leadership on how the recovery process is going. According to her, the most delayed municipalities are Caimito, Alquízar, Mariel and Güira de Melena. The estimated closure for this Thursday, in terms of electric energy service, was expected to exceed 80%.
The José Ramón Martínez pediatric hospital -a center that was hit by Hurricane Rafael- was the second item on the agenda for Artemisa. The hospital has been working hard to restore everything that was damaged by the hurricane, as is also being done today in the Office of Procedures of the Defense Zone Three, in the Popular Council Three, where the dignitary also arrived in the municipality of Guanajay.
