Artemisa, Cuba - The Basic Unit of Cooperative Production UBPC 9 de Abril in San Antonio de los Baños, together with the Agricultural Enterprise, fulfills a part of the 2019 production plans.

The fruits, its main production line, are distributed in 144 hectares of fruit trees including guava, coconut, papaya and mango. The Cooperative's productions are destined to Tourism and National Industry. We have already started exporting avocados, which meet the quality parameters for their final destination, ”said González Arvelo, who also recognized the benefits for the agricultural sector. The hot pepper and some citrus varieties, such as grapefruit and lemon, are also exported, however, citrus production faces difficulties due to diseases and climate change.

From the Citrus Replanting Program, the UBPC will cooperate with a Russian company in two years, when the first 200 hectares of citrus plantations begin. After fulfilling the plans, the income of the peasants, the UBPC and the Cítricos Ceiba Enterprise will increase considerably.

From now on, listening to other experiences and using good agricultural practices will contribute to the improvement of citrus production. The cultivation of fruit trees needs an urgent transformation to guarantee food stability, since they provide nutrients and antioxidants to the human body.

The  Food  and  Agriculture  Organization  (FAO)  and  World  Health  Organization  (WHO)  of   the  United  Nations  (UN)  have  been  leading  the  global  initiative  “Promotion  of   Fruit  and  Vegetables  for  Health”  to  raise  awareness  and  to  boost  fruit  and  vegetable  production, supply and consumption to improve people’s health. The regular  consumption  of   a  variety  of   fruit  and  vegetables  is  essential  for  a  well-balanced  diet  and  for  avoiding  non-communicable  diseases.