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Cuba Plants Seeds Of Change

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The Associated Press

Published: May 2, 2008

HAVANA - Cuba announced a major shake-up of its troubled farm sector on May Day, shifting control of the island's farms from officials at the Agriculture Ministry to more than 150 local delegations.

The move is part of a potentially monumental effort to increase food production and reduce Cuba's dependence on imports. It came as hundreds of thousands of Cubans marched Thursday in a shorter May Day parade that reflected the businesslike style of new President Raul Castro.

The Communist Party newspaper, Granma, said 169 new delegations would take over control of the farm sector, and the government is considering slashing 104 unnecessary departments.
Granma said that relying on local farm leaders to make more decisions will "stimulate agricultural production, perfect its sale and increase the availability of food and, in this way, substitute imports."

Salvador Valdes Mesa, head of the nearly 3 million-strong Cuban Workers Confederation, used his brief International Workers Day speech to urge government employees to work harder and increase efficiency.

"It is fundamental to concentrate efforts on increasing production and productivity, above all of food," he said.

Raul Castro, who succeeded his brother Fidel as president in February, did not speak during the festivities but smiled and waved from a podium as marchers danced, sang and screamed "Long live Fidel! Long live Raul!" while streaming past him in Havana's Revolution Plaza.

The event was over in under two hours - less time than Fidel Castro used just for his speech at the last May Day event he attended in 2006.

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