Interview to the leader farmer, Pedro Antonio Alonso (II PART)
Victor and Sanchez,
independent journalist
victorernestosanchez@ymail.com


SANTIAGO OF CUBA, 15 of April, 2009 - As we promised to him today we offer II to the Part of the realized interview [them roast Sunday, 12 of April to the leader farmer, Pedro Antonio Alonso:

P-Victore: Alonso, with all measures of president Barak Obama, what you think on the rise of the embargo, or blockade as they say to him here in Cuba?

E-Alonso: One is due to know well clearly is the embargo. There is all a series of measures that are attributed to the embargo, but the embargo in its original context, really neither benefits nor harms the Cuban town. Nevertheless the Cuban Government in the political land has known very to manipulate it, that nor own the Cubans, inside and outside the Island know that it is the embargo, but they are pronounced against of him.

The different North American Administrations let themselves manipulate by the Cuban Government and adopt measures that favor to him, as the restrictions of trips and remittances, that endilgaron them to the embargo. Similarly they abrieron the North American product sale to him, avoiding the import to him from other distant markets that increased in price the costs to him. Nevertheless, we had been great time proposing to him to the North American authorities, even personally here in the Office of Interests, that condition those commercial relations with the direct sale to the deprived sector, including the farmers and nobody takes to us into account. 

Now the liberation of the sale of seeds considers, something that is regulated even by international norms, who is going to favor itself of the consumption of those seeds, the Cuban Government.

That is, that if the rise of the embargo includes the restoration of the enterprise system deprived in Cuba, with the purchase and direct sale in the North American market, then I agree that rises, although am of partial form, while the problem of the confiscated properties is solved.

P-Victore: President Raul I castrate announced a series of measures, among them, a massive earth distribution in usufruct, what has happened with that?

E-Alonso: That is a great political swindle, or the earth in usufruct of came granting for years and the results had been the same that those that or comes at the moment obtaining. In Cuba which is needed is not earth, but different an agrarian policy, that it releases to the productive forces and the market.
It could give an immense list of factors that conspire with that policy of earth granting, like the lack of resources of all type, the insecurity by the lack of property of earth, etc. you but in the end, the problems are the same, the lack of economic liberties and the political-administrative structures of the government system.

P-Victore: What your you recommend, like leader farmer, what would be due to make to recover Cuban agriculture?

E-Alonso: Agriculture is the motor of the rural development, cannot be seen separated of the general scheme. Anywhere in the world one comes working in this sense, but from the own community, like part of his integral development. My first proposal would be that the government fulfilled his historical commitment of which the farmer is the true owner of their earth, so that he can be integrated with his own resources to his community and be organized freely and participate in all forms of the free market.
There is something must be added, the international cooperation is one of the mechanisms to provide resources to the rural communities, in Cuba even arrive the organizations cooperators, mainly of Europe, but one of the requirements to receive financings is to have legal function and position of agent, that is to be registered and that condition in Cuba, to be in the Registry of Associations is only for those progovernmental organizations, like the National Association of Small Agriculturists and other that are created with these aims, to secure external financings.

P-Victore: It is spoken much of the precarious situation of the Cuban peasantry before the Revolution, your family always has been a field family, What your you can say to me of that, with respect to the present standard of life?

E-Alonso: The primeo that is due to consider, is that from that already has passed 50 years. The world has changed much, cannot continue living at the expense of the past, must have the capacity and the will to construct a life better to us. I was born after the triumph of the Revolution, but although there would be serious problems in those times, I do not believe that they were majors that those of today. The organizations who integrate the Rural Civic Project of Cuban Development we had making a type of survey which we denominated “Inventory of the rural poverty� and their results were alarming, now I do not have the data here, but in Internet they are possible to be obtained.

P-Victore: Before the evident failure of those measures adopted by the Government with respect to agriculture, you think that new steps more realistic occur than they can guarantee a greater food production?

E-Alonso: I do not create it, the applied model has allowed to stay 50 years him in the power, I do not believe they are going that it to change. Although Raul I castrate raised that they were going away to realize structural changes, actually, which predominates is the do-nothing policy. The persecution of the traveling salesmen has even increased gradually and the seizure of agricultural products on the part of the police in the highways is implacable. There is no indication that nothing is going to change, the unproductive earth, infected of marabú they increase every day, and that was one of the negative situations that Raul promised to eradicate.

(It will continue….)