Matanzas, Cuba, Feb 23 (RHC) Founded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), the CubaFruta project in the western province of Matanzas contributes to developing production and achieving food sovereignty.

According to the website of the local station Radio 26 (www.radio26.cu), Project Manager Jose Perez commented that the essential idea of the program is to improve the supply of products such as avocado and pineapple for the domestic market and to contribute to reducing losses of crops and imports of inputs.

In the province, the municipalities of Colon, Calimete, and Los Arabos are major important productive areas of pineapple, which are used for fresh and industrial consumption.

CubaFruta is expected to increase the capacity of cooperatives to produce, process, and market fresh fruit on a sustainable basis, he said.

Perez stated that the program will last approximately  30 months. During this time, new crops will be introduced in demonstration plots.

According to information from the AICS institutional website, among the expected results of the project are strengthening local and national capacities to diagnose, project, and strategically manage fruit production with a chain approach.

AICS is the public agency of the Government of the Italian Republic that is in charge of promoting international progress by the indications of the 2030 Agenda and the cooperation and development policy of the European Union. (Source: PL)