Manuel Marrero began his governmental visit to Guantanamo province in Baracoa. (Photo:ACN)

Guantánamo, June 28 (RHC) -- Cuba's Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz presides this Wednesday over the fourth government visit to Guantánamo, to evaluate the progress of the main economic and social programs, a continuation of those carried out in November 2018 and 2019 and February 2022.

The arrival of the leader to Guantanamo territory took place through the city of Baracoa, where he met with the main political and government authorities of the territory, headed by Rafael Pérez Fernández, first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba in the province, and Alis Azahares Torreblanca, governor.

Marrero Cruz checked the fulfillment of the guidelines of previous visits and the municipal development strategy, as part of an agenda that includes a tour of productive centers related to the main economic activities of the second most important municipality in the province.

In the Administration Council held in Baracoa, the Prime Minister called for a review of the handover of productive premises and means of transport to non-state entities, including new economic actors, according to Venceremos newspaper.

He insisted that these processes have to be analyzed in a timely manner, because there is a risk that the state enterprise loses its productive capacity, its fundamental role in the economy.

But above all we have to think of the people, he said, because it is not the same to pay one peso for a state bus than 15 pesos, which is the cost of a rented bus on suburban routes in Baracoa.

The same applies in the case of the production of construction materials, if there are private companies that want to produce it is fine, let them build their facilities, but we have to keep our tejares, because the company can earn but the government loses, because then it has to buy the most expensive brick, to build houses, he reflected.

The head of government insisted on the need to create strategies to increase the production of cocoa for the new Chocolate Factory, and export; we have to give land, encourage this crop to generate foreign currency -only 55 tons have been exported- and produce chocolates for the population, he remarked.

Marrero Cruz also spoke about the difficulties with the entry of resources, fundamental cause of the serious non-fulfillment of the housing plan, since only 62 of the 478 planned for the year have been finished, and currently more than half of the houses in the municipality are in regular or bad condition, and there are 3,700 dirt floors.

He urged to encourage brick vaulted roofs in the territory, with culture and capacity to produce bricks, in view of the shortage of steel.