Cuba has in Osmar Garcés Velázquez another peasant who, from Isla de la Juventud, is committed to the development of mini-industries from heat treatment to ecological products with a view to territorial self-sufficiency.
This option enables the processing of those crops that, due to their size or state of maturity, cannot be marketed as fresh products and can be marketed after pickling, thanks to the inputs guaranteed by the Local Agricultural Innovation Program (PIAL), he explained to the Cuban News Agency.
He commented that the place where the premises of the mini-industry will be built on the "La Reina" farm is already microlocated. Each assortment must adhere to the manufacturing standards to preserve food safety, in addition to sending witness samples to experts, in accordance with the requirements of the health system.
This project, coordinated by the local university, will benefit three women -from the rural area of the town of La Fe- in charge of preparing, processing, packaging, sealing and labeling the finished product to deliver it to the point of sale of the Credit and Services Cooperative ( CCS) Ovido Pantoja, referred.
He pointed out that the commercial seal is registered and endorsed by the territorial delegation of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment and includes in the inscription the date of elaboration and expiration of the food, type of product, the name and address of the farm in case request or claim.
In aseptic bags, the pickles go on sale with a permit issued by the Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology of the La Fe public health area, which certifies the commercial sterility of pickled vegetables and processed as puree or sauce, he said.
He added that 90 percent of the products come from the farm's harvest peaks, but it is expected, when the current campaign concludes, to dedicate an area of that possession in usufruct to the planting of vegetables for manufacturing, to that does not compete with the productions contracted with the CCS.
The supply of pickles from the cultivation of vegetables and vegetables with biological products is a guarantee for the consumer, who can purchase 400 or 500 grams of the assortment at 14 or 15 pesos, depending on the type and cost of production, specified Garcés Velázquez, who together with his family work the land.
Although in Cuba it is a tradition for peasants to convert surplus harvests into artisanal productions, today it becomes an alternative that -under the protection of Resolution No. 247/2020, alluding to the bonus in the payment of the tax on sales of a five percent - encourages this type of small-scale production.
This experience is also supported by the comprehensive development program of the special municipality, which prioritizes food production among its objectives.