Sancti Spiritus, Cuba.- The 2nd Secretary of the Central Committee of Cuba’s Communist Party Jose Ramon Machado Ventura urged this Friday to produce more food to replace imports, in order to counter the tightening of the US blockade against Cuba.

In addition to this, the Cuban leader called for increasing exports, during the ANAP Municipal Assembly Balance, corresponding to the Sancti Spiritus municipality of Taguasco.

This assembly of the National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP) was held prior to the 12th Congress of this peasant organization, to be held in Havana next May, under the motto ‘United we are reaping victories’.

Machado Ventura exhorted to protect exportable products, particularly in the agricultural sector, adding there is a chance to exporting fruits and tobacco, of which it is necessary to expand planting areas, because it is a crop whose market is guaranteed.

He stressed that Taguasco is a municipality that has tobacco among its main productions and stressed that food and vegetables must be obtained in each place of the country, except in areas where it is impossible because of its geography or urban location.

Likewise, he indicated that it is necessary to encourage youngsters to be the true torch, taking into account population is aging in Cuba (the province of Sancti Spiritus is among the three oldest).

Deivy Perez, first secretary of the Party in Sancti Spiritus province, pointed out that Taguasco has been a municipality of reference in terms of food delivery levels per capita to the population.