Santiago de Cuba, CMKC, Radio Revolucion.- Angel Luis Michel Pellicer, president of the provincial branch of the Cuban Association of Agricultural and Forestry Technicians (ACTAF), told CMKC that the recent presidential visit definitely stressed the ACTAF main goal: to produce more systematically with better yield and variety. “And Yes, we can, in spite of the blockade and the covid-19”.

In an interview with Camilo Gonzalez, Mr. Pellicer reiterated that the main goal of the ACTAF is to improve the agricultural yield and the use of science and technology to achieve more resistant and productive varieties and use every inch of land for that purpose.

The implementation of the National Program of Soil Conservation and Improvement of the Vida Task, State Plan to face climatic change prioritizes Santiago de Cuba, besides there is an ample program to spread bamboo to protect hydrographic basins.

The Santiago de Cuba ACTAF also trains producers of the province with programs aimed at improving the quality of life of the men and women who live in the countryside.

In 2020 ACTAF members  work in the development of technical skills and phytosanitary training for pest control side by side with the National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP in Spanish) to secure food from the country.

The ACTAF was created in 1987 and it has more than 26 000 members, 40% are women and 35 % are young people. Among its objectives are to gather technicians and professionals from the agricultural sector to improve production and quality in a sustainable manner and to foster the traditional sociocultural heritage.