Cuban News Agency

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For Amado Acosta, Tourism Ministry’s delegate in the province, direct sale
results in greater dynamism in marketing processes, higher-quality and
fresher produces, which are the two main advantages of the new modality,
though he noted that it is still to early to come to conclusions on its
impact.

According to Granma newspaper, the ministry is stimulating the increase of
agricultural production for the tourism market in the territories that are
closer to the tourist area of the province, such as Boca de Camarioca,
Cantel, Guácima, Humberto Alvarez, Cardenas, Coliseo and Maximo Gomez, to
reduce transportation expenses and losses.

For example, he mentioned, water melons, which are currently bought in
Pinar del Rio, approximately 260 Km west Matanzas.

Acosta pointed out that since tourism is determined by the time of the
year in Cuba, agricultural entities should create the conditions to grow a
wide variety of products, particularly vegetables year round.

Meanwhile, Alfredo Abreu Otaño, the president of the Jesus Menendez Credit
and Service Cooperative Unit, located 60 Km away of Varadero, expressed
concerns about ensuring packaging and getting oil for the transportation.

Abreu Otaño said those two aspects have slowed down the commercial process
because there are no legal mechanisms established for cooperatives to buy
fuel from other sources than CUPET.

The same concerns were noted by Manuel Enrique Trujillo, a farmer from the
cooperative, and by Pedro Rangel, manager of the Ramon Martell
Agricultural Cooperative Unit.

However, Agriculture Ministry’s delegate in the province, Jose Miguel
Rodriguez, told Granma the profit generated from this commercial exchange
between the farmers and tourism entities should provide producers’ the
solvency to pay fuel at CUPET’s prices.