In the heart of the Cuban agricultural sector, individual producers deploy a constant effort to increase productions and contribute to the feeding of the people. A palpable example is José Manuel Gorgoy Pérez, a producer from the Máximo Gómez Credit and Services Cooperative (CCS) in the municipality of Baraguá, who with dedication and vision for the future has turned his land into a bastion of plantain production.

With a property of 470 hectares, of which 253 are dedicated to the cultivation of plantain in its fruit, burro and macho varieties, Gorgoy Pérez has achieved a diversified farm where vegetables, grains and fruit trees also have space. However, plantain stands as the main crop and the one with the greatest projection.

“Now we want to reach, regarding plantain, around 300 hectares this year,” affirmed the producer. “For that, we plan to close this semester with 20 more hectares and, between November and December, reach the other 20 to achieve the goal.”

The commitment of the Gorgoy Pérez family to the land is a lifelong tradition. Since the year 2010, they have “put their chest into” plantain cultivation uninterrupted, an effort that today bears fruit and attracts attention. The distinction of the farm is such that it has merited a visit from Esteban Lazio, President of the National Assembly of People’s Power.

The productive success is sustained, in part, by the introduction of the FHIA-04 variety, a plantain clone with high productive potential that can promote yields of around 50 tonnes per hectare. This technological leap, united with experience and family work, is key to achieving large productions.

“We are engrossed in that, so that volume of production incentivises that there is food for the people,” highlighted José Manuel. His vision transcends particular interest and focuses on a patriotic sense: “It is a contribution for the country, which is food for the people.”