In the midst of a complicated economic situation, Cuba is trying to increase food and goods production, address vulnerabilities and explore potentialities.

By Roberto Morejón

In the midst of a complicated economic situation, Cuba is trying to increase food and goods production, address vulnerabilities and explore potentialities.

In this context, meetings of the country's leadership with key players in the provinces are held, in which strategies, projects and experiences in favor of the economy and services are presented.

The meetings, with the participation of the President of the Republic Miguel Díaz-Canel, are not devoted to enumerating the shortages, known to all, due to the intensified U.S. blockade and the high prices of food and energy on the international market.

In addition to the above, in Cuba, there are the high expenditures to face the Covid-19 pandemic, accumulated difficulties and internal shortages.

The aforementioned provincial meetings are aware of all this and then they focus on suggestions to overcome the effects.

There are plausible initiatives, as in Havana, where an important agricultural and livestock company, the technological scientific park and other centers with import substitution innovations stand out.

But the results are insufficient, said the Head of State because, he added, there are well-defined strategic tasks, but we have not solved the problems.

It is necessary to turn exceptions into rules, to show that everything is possible, said the President.

In the debates in the provinces, the imperative of maintaining links with the universities and reversing obstacles that limit development were on the agenda.

A commendable proposal was made in the western province of Pinar del Río, that of planting more, not only tobacco, a traditional crop, but also food, since it has water reservoirs.

The invitation is in line with the reiterated purpose of revitalizing agriculture, since the expected achievements have not been registered so far after the implementation of measures for its flourishing.

In the also western province of Matanzas, they also explored potentialities, among them the presence of fertile lands, abundant water resources and five state-productive poles, waiting to be better used.

Political and government authorities, businessmen and other representatives of economic entities face problems such as inflation and the lack of financial resources to buy more abroad.

Cubans called to meditate on difficulties and possible solutions are looking for concrete solutions in order to, as expected, begin to see results in the short and medium terms.