Havana - The Second Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, Jose Ramon Machado Ventura, on Monday called for better use of the land and the diversification of production in Matanzas province.

During a tour of production units in the western territory, Machado Ventura noted the need to increase crops for animal feed in order to eliminate imports, local television reported.

The Party leader also followed up on the progress of investments in the cereal program, especially rice crops, and expressed interest in the construction and assembly of a drier in Cardenas municipality, where some 55 tons of that cereal will be processed.

According to the TV report, provincial leaders committed themselves to turning Matanzas into one of the country's most productive regions and achieving food self-sufficiency.