Today, Miguel Díaz-Canel, first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) and president of the Republic, called to move forward, "to overcome the blockade with our own talent, with our effort and participation in Ciego de Ávila".
During an exchange with residents of the Popular Council of Ceballos, as part of his visit to the province, he reminded that 2021 was a tough year, marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and the tightening of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States government to Cuba.
Despite our own economic problems, he said, we have the population vaccinated (against COVID-19), the booster dose is already administrated, there is more confidence and the borders have been opened.
Accompanied by Roberto Morales Ojeda, secretary of Organization and Staff Policy of the Central Committee of the PCC, and Carlos Luis Garrido Pérez, secretary of the PCC in the province, among other authorities, the president toured community centers of about 15 thousand inhabitants, such as the Levan Kikava semi-boarding school, the rehabilitation room, a doctor's office and a wine cellar.
In dialogue with Hayde Cuello Aragón, a delegate from a Popular Power constituency, she became interested in young people disconnected from work, which does not happen in the area, since those who had joined the training and nearby mini-industries.
The delegate listed several of the actions carried out through integrated community work, such as the rescue of sports areas and the eradication of dirt floors, before which the president highlighted the importance of working on the transformation of neighborhoods, preventing the accumulation of problems.
Díaz-Canel was interested in the controlled sales of beef from private producers and other alternatives that improve the offers to the population, as well as the state of the roads and projections.
He insisted that things be done with quality, putting the available budget according to priorities and promoting local development.
Given the concern of a female resident about difficulties with access to water in El Cartón suburb, she reflected that many neighborhoods were founded without the required aqueduct facilities, and problems of this type or with the streets and homes in the communities.
He explained that there is a program to gradually solve these difficulties, with the participation of all, and called for the creation of popular control mechanisms to guarantee that resources are used properly.
The Cuban leader called not to make a separation between cadres, leaders and the people, because everyone, he specified, came from the town, that is why we all have to criticize and also collaborate to get out of problems.
The population has every right to demand accountability and transparency from our cadres in the work we do, bearing in mind that we cannot solve all difficulties at the same time, that is why an accurate diagnosis is so important and in line with the villagers, priorities are determined, he alleged.
Another of the places visited this Friday was the Base Business Unit (UEB) Vegetable Production of the Ceballos Agro-industrial Company, which stands out for its productive results and for contributing to the export pole of the province headed by its entity.
Exnier González Suárez, its director, explained that in total yield they reach 45 tons per hectare, although the figure varies from one crop to another, while maintaining an upward behavior of productivity above what was planned, as well as income and profits.
The entity's diversification process has allowed the development of a profit center for productions destined for tourism, while mini-industries avoid crop losses, with the application of alternatives such as the use of a nylon bag for packaging before the lack of cans, he held.
The UEB has among its flagship products the Chile Habanero hot pepper, which since 2016 has maintained a sustained increase in exports, reaching 72 tons in 2021.
Díaz-Canel was interested in markets outside the borders, their productions and projects for the current year, among which is the increase in areas of protected crops and technological changes, and urged not to neglect efficiency.
