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Published: Tuesday, 28 May 2019 08:27

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Photo: GranmaCiego de Ávila, May 28. - "You cannot be afraid of this. You have to take the products, even if it's in a jab, "said Martincito -Martín Alonso Gómez, his registration name-, from the Avinasian credit and services cooperative (CCS) Reinaldo Manen, when he learned that the guajiros could market direct form in the northern keys of Ciego de Ávila and in other tourism facilities.

The entry into force, on October 21, 2013, of the resolutions issued by the Ministries of Agriculture, Finance and Prices, and Tourism, which made direct marketing of different products and services among hotel establishments, came as a welcome change. and gastronomic tourism sector and state companies, all agricultural cooperatives, as well as small farmers, including usufructuaries.
Martincito took accounts one, two, three ... a hundred times and came to the conclusion that tourism, cataloged by many as the locomotive of the Cuban economy, could also benefit the private pocket and that of many other guajiros of the province and the country , in addition to alleviating to the State the burden of imports.
In this way, the first 20 peasants from their CCS and from neighboring Orlando González joined together and launched themselves on the other side of the river, not only with the mentality of making money, but also with helping, "because we can contribute a lot. the guajiros and the state companies to reduce the number of boats that have to be paid to supply the hotels ».
Something similar took place in the vicinity of Sancti Spíritus the peasants of the CCS Alfredo Acosta, some smart laborers who in addition to sowing and guataquear the yucca have learned to peel and package it "with swing" to conquer the market in the facilities of Islazul, located in the capital of Sancti Spiritus.
"Last year we had 24 tons in plan and we managed to sell 27," says Idel Martínez Venegas, who until recently served as president of the peasant organization, a position from which he promoted direct marketing with tourism, which is more demanding - especially if done on the back of a cart and an old tractor - also brings the reward of better dividends for the pocket.
GUAJIROS IN THE TRANSFER?
But neither a swallow does summer nor Martincito, in Ciego de Ávila, nor the 14 "adventurers" of the Alfredo Acosta, in Sancti Spíritus, can solve by themselves the constraints that represent the supply of inputs to tourism in the country, a project who walks "step by step", according to several specialists interpellated by Granma, but who has not just taken flight at least in these two provinces, both with an eminently agricultural economy.
In Ciego de Ávila today there are only 21 contracts with the cooperative and peasant sector, including one with a CCS of Mayabeque !, the Antonio Maceo, which every Tuesday, with Swiss watch precision, at 6:30 in the morning, knock on the doors of the Pullman Cayo Coco hotel, after traveling hundreds of kilometers.
Not very different is the reality in the land of the Yayabo, where the cooperatives Paquito Rosales, of Sancti Spíritus; Cuba Nueva, from Cabaiguán; Julio Tápanes, from Yaguajay, and the aforementioned Alfredo Acosta, from Taguasco, are rare more than a quinquennium of having passed the regulations that opened the back rooms of the hotels to the guajiros.
"In other times we have added up to seven cooperatives, but now those that have contracts are these," admits Eidy Díaz Fernández, head of the agri-food sphere in the provincial anap, who predicts the next incorporation of four others in the Banao area. .
Why has the cooperative and peasant sector of the region missed this opportunity? The question could be the scientific problem for an investigation that for now this team has not proposed to undertake, but clearly the matter is related to the remoteness of many poles, the competitiveness that requires a commercial relationship of this type, the deplorable state of transportation in most of the productive bases and even a certain sociological component related to that of "what the peasant is the land."
Consulted separately, Yuliet López González, quality specialist in the Mintur delegation, in Ciego de Ávila, and the management team of the base business unit (UEB) Frutas Selectas, in Sancti Spíritus, agree on something that for them is not has discussion: in both territories the bulk of marketing is still in the hands of state companies that no matter how hard they are, they can not satisfy the appetite for tourism, although there is a well-structured system -including command-, capable of looking for productions where tey are.
ABOUT «AGUAS» TURBULENTAS
Vismar Hernández Guzmán, head of Purchase of the hotel Sol Cayo Coco (270 rooms), states that the main foodstuffs are received from the Agropecuaria La Cuba, the Agroindustrial Ceballos, Frutas Selectas and the CCS Reinaldo Manen and José Antonio Echeverría, with a stable and quality supply, "although these days are missing orange, grapefruit, lemon, carrot and onion."
The five stars of the exalted Pullman hotel are not saved from this drought of offers either. They suffer Luis Armando González Fraser, general deputy director of the hotel; also Ogilbe Espinosa Valdés, head of Compra, and Leonel Reyes Fuentes, renowned kitchen chef, the last one to face the client, the one who suffers when something is missing or has no quality.
"Much remains to be done, especially in the quality of dairy and meat, because the other productions, mainly agricultural, arrive in time and in good condition, especially the banana of La Cuba and what the CCS Antonio brings us Maceo, from Mayabeque, who saved the game at the end of last year. They arrived just at the moment when there were no other agricultural products, "Leonel says.
CITY COCO CLONADO IN TRINIDAD
The problems of shortage and instability of the avileña north keys appear as clones in the Cuban south coast, the same in the Iberostar Trinidad, Las Cuevas, El Ancón, the South Coast or the Trinidad del Mar, than in the thriving network of hostels ( 1 617), palates (97) and cafeterias (339).
The lack of salads and fruit trees at certain times of the year, the potholes of the Bucanero and Los Portales and the debts of the dairy industry are recognized by suppliers, hostelers, managers and, above all, by the tourists themselves who attend one of the most picturesque poles in the country.
"The Milk is the provider that creates the most headaches," Alberto Ramos Amador, sub-delegate of the Mintur in Sancti Spíritus, told Granma: "They produce Frescal, which is a good cheese, but in our hotels, most are imported today. , they do not produce the butter in minidosis and the format of the yogurt is not always the ideal ».
Rio Zaza recognizes its shortcomings and defends itself with a philosophical argument: "It also happens that the high season of tourism comes along with the low season of milk and vice versa, we have been preparing, but we can do much more because the tourist does not understand that », Reasons Maidelyn Fardales Sandamil, sales manager in currency in the state.
According to the source, the company not only produces the best cream cheese in the country, the Nela, unique for its hot packing technology (hot packaging); it also makes other varieties of melted, fresh and semi-hard type, yogurt, butter, ice cream and whole milk powder; maintains a container and offices in Trinidad to respond to any contingency and is working to improve the presentation of some of its offers.
With these strengths, the Milky Way could very well conquer the Trinitarian pole and even more "powerful" ones in which to gain consumers and reputation, a launch much less reckless than that initial outburst by Martincito, when he thought of reaching the keys of the North of the Ciego de Avila with his products in a box even if they thought it was crazy. (Granma)