The search for alternatives to produce and commercialize food constitutes a perennial challenge for the more than 160 farmers affiliated to the Ignacio Agramonte Credit and Services Cooperative (CCS), from the municipality of Morón, who face the deficit and increased cost of inputs; however, persist in minimizing the impact of these problems on consumers' pockets.
A multi-causal global crisis and the intensification of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed on Cuba by the US government, the latter becoming an obstacle to commercial relations and the acquisition of products in markets close to the country. They are presented as the main impediments to advance towards food sovereignty, and prevent a “respite” to the collective and family coffers.
Pedro Ángel Lau Rodríguez, producer of the aforementioned CCS and representative of La Esperanza point of sale (located on highway to Patria), knows this well. He assures that the cost of productions increased up to 10 times, a figure proportional to the rise in prices of the fuel, fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, fumigations and the salary of the workers from the monetary reorganization.
In this context, the premise is to avoid abuse and speculation, which are also condemned by current law. In addition, he clarifies: "high prices, as a result of the conditions to produce, are not the same as incurring excesses during sales, in order to multiply profits."
Aware that consumers in this chain cannot represent the weakest link, although in practice they continue to be, Lau Rodríguez and the other members of Ignacio Agramonte adopt measures to reduce the cost of production, such as the use of animal traction to clear land, saving electricity by turning off turbines and irrigation devices at peak times, and rational use of water.
In achieving this objective, the promotion of agro-ecological practices is essential, in addition to filling the deficit of chemical products in the country, responding to the prevailing climatic conditions and helping to maintain the ecological balance in the fields, the producer said.
In the last five years, the province of Ciego de Ávila showed a growing trend in the use of organic fertilizers, with positive results in pest control and environmental protection.
The engineer Raúl Hernández Martínez, specialist in Biological Control of the Provincial Directorate of Plant Health, stressed that bio pesticides are used in all the productive bases of the territory, including companies such as La Cuba, Arnaldo Ramírez, El Mambí and Agroindustrial D'Cballos, that are taxed to the national balance.
They have had a favorable impact by achieving 65% effectiveness in the control and regulation of pests that affect different crops, thus stimulating production in the 11 entomopathogens and entomophages (CREE) reproduction centers, distributed in eight of the 10 municipalities of Ciego de Ávila.
THE EXACT POINT
La Esperanza is, perhaps, the most recognized point of sale of agricultural products in the municipality of Morón for its permanence in the marketing process, the variety and quality of offers, affordable prices although far from those desired ones, and courteous treatment.
It is the site that has had the initiative and the kindness to stimulate the performance of health professionals directly linked to the fight against COVID for more than a year, by granting them the privilege of a 30 percent discount on the price of the products.
In altruistic gestures, its four workers, led by Pedro, have donated to the Roberto Rodríguez Provincial General Teaching Hospital, the three authorized isolation centers in Morón, for patients with COVID-19, maternity and nursing homes, and nursery schools.
They consider this, simply, as a contribution to the diet of patients and a way to motivate other farmers to contribute with food in health institutions, especially those destined for the pandemic, where many patients are treated, consequently high levels of transmission.
La Esperanza is also peculiar, among establishments of its kind, for the concern of bringing food sales (in the form of combos), with the benefit of a 30 percent discount on the price, to isolated families in their homes. Actions that are developed in coordination with community work groups and have made it possible to reach a number of popular councils in the Rooster City.
Roman Romero Lopez
Moreover, the account, the account gives! Pedro recognizes that the gains have been significant, which is reflected in the salary of the workers, with a monthly average of 3 300.00 pesos; and compliance with annual and monthly contributions to the National Tax Administration Office.
The dividends allow it to improve the conditions of the establishment and acquire indispensable means for its performance, such as the refrigeration equipment that allows them to preserve processed foods, mostly from the mini-industries located in the town of Ceballos, in the municipality of Ciego de Ávila.
By establishing contractual relationships with suppliers of these small factories, it expands the market, by selling tomato paste, sauces, fruit juices, jams, guava bars, pickles and other widely accepted productions.
The "secret" to achieve the variety of offers and stability in sales, "lies in the efficient management of resources, the systematic work and the sacrifice of waking up every day at dawn to make purchases and visit suppliers, exhausting all possibilities, even with people who cultivate in backyards and plots.
“We try to obtain top quality food so that there is a correspondence with the sale prices and to achieve the satisfaction of the more than 2,000 clients who attend La Esperanza every day. This figure, now, with schedule limitations as a consequence of the pandemic (from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm), but it could be higher in normal times,” Lisandra Cruz Machado, one of the employees, said.
Some people have posted on the networks about their satisfaction with the service to highlight the condition of the products and the consistency with the cost, as well as the good treatment they receive. "That, of course, makes us proud and confirms that they leave satisfied," he said.
Other strategies used is the sale of benefited and packaged products, which has been widely accepted as many people pass by and have nothing to carry, so they are offered the solution.
As part of the quality management, the hygienic standards are also respected to avoid the transmission of COVID-19: the placement of foot disinfection carpets and disinfectant solutions, sanitation of the premises, cleaning of surfaces in common use, the daily sanitation of the sale places and warehouse, and decontamination of all products upon arrival.
In the midst of a complex epidemiological situation in the territory, sales are maintained and preventive measures guarantee that no worker is infected, although the probabilities are high, due to the influx of public.
Thus, La Esperanza, lives up to its name by presenting itself as an opportunity to find some of the most demanded agricultural products, in a comfortable environment and respect for the customer, which invites them to return.
