Farm Leader Calls for Higher Food Production

Cuba: Farm Leader Calls for Higher Food Production

Aug 7 (Prensa Latina) The president of the National Association of Small
Farmers, Orlando Lugo, called for increasing food production in Cuba to
reduce imports.

The association, ANAP, represents private and family farmers.

It is necessary to use all the potential and resolve remaining obstacles
in marketing, Lugo told a group of presidents of cooperatives in the
central province of Ciego de Avila.

The leader called for increasing production of beef and pork, two areas
with depressed production, according to a report by the National
Information Agency (AIN).

Production shortfalls in the first half of the year forced the country
to spend 23 million USD more than planned on imports.

There were problems in the production of milk, meat, beans and garlic,
Lugo said.

During the last five years, Cuba has had to spend an average of 1.5
million annually on food imports.

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