“Stop the debt spiral, increase investments and exports, promote local development projects and replace imports, are the most important tasks of the Cuban economy.” Minister of the Cuban economic Alejandro Gil said.

As part of the VIII Congress of the National Association of Economists and Accountants of Cuba (ANEC), which is a meeting held at the Havana Convention Palace, the Minister of Economy and Planning warned that the Cuban economy is affected by the import mentality, the deficits of national production and the increases in demand.

"Imports generate debt or require cash to pay at once, besides, the importation includes two phenomena: we do not develop the industry and we indebt the country." He said.

Along with the condition of taking advantage of local resources and territorial potentialities, the Minister of Economy urged to promote Local Development related projects. Moreover, he referred and highlighted the experiences carried out in the local Pinar del Río, Cienfuegos, Holguín and Las Tunas provinces.

"It is necessary to consume our own products and disconnect us from importation. If the Local Development projects are connected with the import, they simply do not have a guarantee of sustainability. “He said.

Before the 400 delegates invited to the VIII ANEC Congress, Gil announced that before the demands of a more flexible planning, it is expected to elaborate the 2020 Economy Plan without framing or an specific guideline, but it had to come from the grassroots and it had to take into account each enterprise´s potential.

He also called those present to understand that they are on the first front of the related battle because the economy is one of the two most important battles the country is carrying out, alongside the defense, and he stated that the Helms-Burton Act does not represent any limitation to develop the economy.

"Changing the mentality a little is what you have to do, talking to the workers; integrate all of us into a common goal. The economy has real possibilities to guarantee growth and development in the midst of the resurgence of the blockade, because we have human potential, a development of the local tourism industry, capacity in the national industry that is not properly used. Moreover, we also keep commercial ties with nations which keep supporting us as long as we fulfill our obligations on time. " He pointed out.

Convinced that the right path is no longer just to resist, but to develop the country and guaranteeing the gradual increase of the quality of life of the Cuban population, the participants at the VIII ANEC Congress analyzed other issues such as the new forms of non-state management, the importance of the socialist state enterprise, the accounting, auditing and the related internal control.