Florida, February 16 – The National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP) approved a new set of financial schemes aimed at diversifying the productive output of cooperatives and farms in the sector, without limiting the autonomy of organizational structures at the grassroots level.
Expanding tobacco cultivation in any area where terrain conditions allow, with the goal of generating foreign exchange for the cooperatives themselves, and adding honey production, where 55 percent of the value collected from sales on the world market in convertible currency goes directly to the producer, are among the favorable proposals in the new economic self-management program promoted by ANAP.
The possibility of increasing the productive capacity and financial situation of farmers is further enhanced by a portion of the payment being made directly in foreign currency, the production of exportable charcoal, the use of land for cultivating rice, soybeans, beans, and corn for the domestic market, the production of milk and beef, and the planting of Robusta, Arabica, and other Vietnamese coffee varieties.
The range of opportunities aimed at improving the economic and financial situation of the production units and individual members of the farming sector extends to the promotion of fruit orchards and the possibility of direct sales to the tourism sector and in the Mariel Special Development Zone, with a portion of the payment for agricultural deliveries being made in foreign currency for the farmer and the cooperative.
To cite just one example, the sale of a top-quality bull can bring in its value in Cuban pesos, plus 90 cents in foreign currency per kilogram, while other, smaller specimens will bring in between 40 and 70 cents per kilogram.
