Cuba to Invest to Better Transportation 

Havana, Dec 22 (Prensa Latina) In response to public and governmental discontent with transportation, Cuban Transport Minister Jorge Luis Sierra announced a million dollar investment in the sector next year to correct the serious problems.

   At the urging Friday of First Vice President Raul Castro, who pointed out transportation ranks with housing and food for citizens, Sierra explained to National Assembly deputies the objective and subjective elements of the transportation difficulties for freight and people.

   Immediate priorities include reorganization and strengthening of his ministry s role for a more efficient use of investment, and better discipline and energy saving, the minister said.

   In 2007 the plan is to buy 200 buses from China, 50 used Mercedes Benz, and 344 school buses, as well as trucks for moving both human and cargo in the mountains while the railroads undergo major renovation to the tune of 230 million dollars.

   Sierra was severe in his criticisms of public transport, especially of workers in the sector, which has a high turnover; mentioning lack of drivers, incompetence, petty theft and illegal sale of tickets, particularly in the capital.

   He also noted lack of spare parts and deterioration of repair shops as well as lack of organization and financing for maintenance.

Cuba Allocates 22.6 Per Cent of GDP to Social Programs 

Havana, Dec 22 (Prensa Latina) Education and health services will receive 22.6 per cent of Cuba’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), that is four times more than the average destined by any country in Latin America, according to 2007 budget figures.

   Georgina Barreiro, minister of Finances and Prices, presented this Friday before the plenary session of the Cuban parliament the 2007 State budget, where the resources destined to public health, education and culture sectors are due to increase, together with retirement and social security pensions, the country’s defense and home security.   

   The eighth ordinary period of sessions of the Cuban parliament, presided over by first Vice President and Minister of Defense Raul Castro, Barreiro announced that the budget assigns 4.8 billion pesos to support investments related to the education and health sectors, housing construction, infrastructure for transport, energy and water resources.

   She also stressed significant resources will go to subsidize regulated products sold to the population in which the country spends around one billion dollars in order to guarantee the products included in the basic food basket.

   Minister Barreiro said it was considered convenient to provide 300 million pesos as an emergency fund for possible natural disasters for the next fiscal year.

   State control will focus on the money destined to its economic and social improvement, in order to obtain the most from available resources.

   Barreiro said it is estimated national income will grow by 9.8 per cent next year, mostly due to export of services, retail sales and the increase of managerial efficiency, while expenses will grow 9.1 per cent, reflecting a positive trend.

   The balance between income and expenses for the year 2007 is expected to leave a 1.9 billion pesos deficit, equivalent to 3.2 per cent of the GDP, trend consolidated over the last years that helps to maintain the deficit in a sustainable rank.

   The Minister also reported that pensions will amount to 3.9 billion pesos, 330 million beyond the figure planned for the current year, while social security will reach 1.2 billion pesos, allowing to attend 588 thousand 097 beneficiaries.

   The social development indicators reached and recognized by international organizations, she stressed, are higher than those shown by many countries with greater resources, placing Cuba in an outstanding position in spite of the unjust and criminal blockade imposed by the United States government almost half a century ago.

   The economic and social results of the country show the tenacity and efforts of the Cuban people and in agreement with this year´s budget allocation which allowed for a 12.5 per cent growth of the GDP, the highest rate in the region, affirmed the Minister.

Cuban Assembly Demands Ag Report 

Havana, Dec 22 (Prensa Latina) Cuban national deputies have demanded, at the suggestion of First Vice President Raul Castro, that the pertinent organisms report on the nation´s agricultural situation in the next National Peoples Power Assembly session.

   Based on a brief self-critical account from Agriculture Minister-in-function Maria del Carmen Perez, other reports and information imparted by deputies, Raul Castro descried a possible lack of economic discipline in the sector and warned of the danger if farmers are not paid, or not paid fairly, by the State due to intermediaries acquiring products and raising prices.

  Council of Ministers Executive Committee secretary, Carlos Lage, pointed out that the government has taken considerable measures to prevent this situation, also seen in the sugar sector.

  Raul Castro was emphatic that this problem could not continue and repeated that imprecision and vagueness would not be acceptable in the reports.

  The plenary unanimously approved including this topic in its next session as well as to receive concrete solutions to the deficiencies.

Cuba Has Greatest LatAm Economic Growth 

Havana, Dec 22 (Prensa Latina) Cuba will end 2006 with an economic growth of 12.5 percent, confirming the consolidation trend of the last two years and the most laudable in Latin America and the Caribbean.

   Economy and Planning Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez provided this information to the plenary of the eighth session of the National People s Power Assembly at Havana Convention Center.

   Rodriguez, who is also vice president of the Cuban Council of Ministers, based his reports on statistics recognized and published by the Economic Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL).

   He highlighted that such growth is the highest in Cuban revolutionary history, and greatly exceeds the average 5.3 percent GDP growth reported by CEPAL for Latin America and the Caribbean.

   The minister recalled that the Cuban economy grew 5.4 percent in 2004 and achieved 11.8 percent in 2005. 

(Prensa Latina) 22-12-2006

By Maria Julia Mayoral

Cuba is slated to finish 2006 with a 12.5 percent growth in GDP marking the highest increase ever registered on the island since the 1959 triumph of the revolution.

Delegates meeting at the Cuban parliament’s ordinary session concluded that this year’s results show the continuation of the stabilizing and strengthening of the economy, which began to take off in 2004. They acknowledged the growth as a result of the great efforts of the Cuban people and noted that the economic upturn has had a direct impact on the daily lives of families across the country.

The parliamentarians also pointed out that the country is not totally clear of the tough economic times that followed the collapse of the Eastern European Socialist Camp and warned that the US continues to increase its multilateral war and blockade against Cuba.

Friday’s ordinary session was presided by First Vice President Raul Castro and discussions were moderated by Parliament President Ricardo Alarcon.

By unanimous decision it was decreed that 2007 would be named the Year 49 of the Revolution, after a proposal made by Alarcon to mark each year chronologically by the anniversary of the Revolution. After voting on the motion, Raul Castro voiced his approval and pointed out that Fidel Castro had also agreed to the proposal. He added that Fidel continues to make progress in his recovery.

Along with the country’s social and economic performance during 2006, representatives examined and approved the 2007 State Plan and Budget, after the Committee of Economic Affairs presented its conclusions.

Previously, there was heated debate regarding the country’s shortages and issues related to public transportation, housing, agriculture production, energy saving measures and problems connected with a lack of social and labor discipline.

Agriculture was on the top of the list including problems related to decreased production, high prices in the agriculture markets, and monies owed by the state to independent farmers and cooperatives. Following a proposal by Raul Castro, it was agreed that a special report on the causes of and solutions to these problems would be prepared for the next session.

Alarcon concluded the intense day of debates saying that "Only with social participation and the real support of the population in the exercise of power will we be able to face the coming tasks."

(Granma) December 26, 2006

Cuban Indicators Show the Difference

Havana, Jan 3 (Prensa Latina) Investment in social development programs bears fruit as Cuban indicators have come to show.

   According to national statistics, in 1958, there were one million illiterates and over one million of functional illiterates in the island. At the end of 1961, Cuba was free of illiteracy. Four and a half decades later, inhabitants of the Caribbean nation hold one of the highest schooling indexes in Latin America, if not the first.

   One out of eleven Cuban citizens are college graduates today.

   Full employment policy is considered unprofitable in a capitalist society. In 1959, Cuba had an unemployment rate of 24 per cent and in 2006 it was already down to 1.9 per cent, the lowest in the island’s history.

   Houses with electricity amounted to 56 per cent in 1959, while in 2006, power services reached 95.56 per cent of all homes.

   To achieve the above indicator, it was necessary to increase the number of power plants and installed capacity. In 1958, plants barely generated 397.1 megawatts, while 48 years later, installed capacity soared to 4,605 megawatts.

   As for health care, Cuba has one doctor for every 159 inhabitants, compared to one for every 1,076 inhabitants in 1958. Dentists rate one for every 1,066 people, against one for every 27,052 in 1958.

   The population’s health indicators show 77 years of life expectancy, among the 25 leading countries worldwide. Back in 1950-55 it was estimated in 59.6 years.

   Infant mortality is lowest in all Latin America, with 5.5 dead for every thousand infants born alive. Fifty-five years ago, Cuba reported 118 for every thousand live births.

   The environment has also improved significantly. In 1959, only 14 per cent of the Cuban territory was covered with woods, rate that amounts to 24 per cent today, due to the reforestation drive conducted by the government.

(Prensa Latina) 03-01-2007