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• 12 / 22 / 2009

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Cuban Food Industry Minister Maria del Carmen Concepcion said that this sector has experienced a steady growth in recent years, despite financial shortfalls and subjective problems.

While addressing the deputies from the Cuban Parliament at Havana’s Convention Centre, the minister pointed out that mercantile production advances, in spite of the effects of the current international economic crisis.

Concepcion said the ministry's strategic program seeks to ensure a sustained increase, replace imports, and increase exports, productivity and efficiency.

This strategy by the Food Ministry is related to industrialization in agriculture and fisheries, milling, flour and its derivatives, as well as alcoholic beverages, soft drinks and water.

Many investments were made, including the assembly of modules at bakeries, soy yogurt plants, factories and lines of noodles, among others, he remarked.

Nevertheless, she said, we can still appreciate technological deficiencies, instability in the supply of raw materials, insufficient quality and lack of control in some entities.

Agriculture Minister Ulises Rosales del Toro stressed that despite the growth achieved in production, it is still far from solving the problems of feeding the people.

Rosales del Toro noted that the greatest efforts must be aimed at working directly in the countryside, where production plans are actually materialized.

The addresses of parliamentarians during Saturday’s session were mainly directed to presenting experiences related to work in local mini-industries and to the quality and guaranteeing of consumables to supply the network of wholesalers.

Source: ACN