Domestic Trade Minister, Betsy Diaz.

Havana, December 20 (RHC)-- Cuba's Minister of Domestic Trade Betsy Diaz said Monday that it is a priority to increase the supply of goods and services in the country, within which the sector has great responsibility.

The minister explained before the deputies of the National Assembly of People's Power (Parliament) that although the leading causes of the non-compliance of the retail trade circulation are associated with the shortage of several items, it is necessary to increase self-management.

"Up to November, the country managed to collect 44,170 million pesos (more than 1,840 million dollars), 69 percent of the amount foreseen in the plan, a figure that translates into circulating money that contributes to inflation", she reflected.

Díaz added that such a situation imposes the challenge of seeking variants, identifying products within the national industry, achieving an effective linkage with the new economic actors, and taking advantage of the opportunities opened up by the measures approved in the agricultural sector.

In her presentation, she recalled that they worked on the expansion of sales offers during this year, through the opening of commission houses = the establishment of installment sales, and the authorization of garage sales.

However, the impact on programs such as the commercialization of construction materials hurt the overall results, with sales of 990 million 900 thousand pesos (around 41 million 280 thousand dollars), for a 46 percent compliance rate.

The minister informed about the food donations made by friendly countries (77,196 tons), which allowed for the free distribution of 5,540,544 modules throughout the national territory.

She also commented that the organizational movements undertaken in the sector determine the implementation of a process of availability of the labor force in the entrepreneurial system, which reaches 16,755 workers and will be extended until 2022.