Havana, December 27 (RHC)--  Army General Raul Castro urged on Monday to promote urban agriculture in Cuba in areas available in cities, communities, plots, and backyards on the occasion of the 34th anniversary of the national program for this activity.

In a message sent to the Urban, Suburban, and Family Agriculture Movement, the historic leader of the Revolution recognized the importance of this initiative given the priority for food production in the country.

Times have changed, but the need to produce food remains intact, so more so in these last two years, in which together we have lived through one of the worst sanitary crises, he said in the text released by Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero at the ceremony to celebrate the date.

"Our country, besieged as never before by the United States of America, has no choice but to move forward with its forces and, in that battle, you play an essential role, faithful promoters of the sovereignty born from the field and effort," he added.

The leader valued the results and advances of the Movement as positive and called to exploit the available areas and make the best use of them.

"Finding the answers to these questions is the best help we can give to our people, the people who have been able to overcome these hard times and who will once again emerge victorious," he wrote.

The celebration of the date in Havana was attended by producers with outstanding performance, representatives of associations linked to the Ministry of Agriculture and agricultural companies, and local authorities. According to official figures, 12,640 hectares of the country are dedicated to producing vegetables and fresh condiments.

However, one of the immediate objectives for the sector is to work in the 143 communities considered to have a deficit in the availability of agricultural products.

During the year that is coming to an end, the Movement committed to producing one million 295 thousand tons of fresh vegetables and condiments, and the forecast is to end December with one million 300 thousand tons throughout the country, with an average yield of 10 kilograms per square meter per year.