Granma. – With the gratitude of those who have seen their bean crops multiply, the Granma producer Juan Eduardo Matos Roselló is one of those who affirms, without fear of being wrong, that the field needs the application of science and technology .
«In my land, no matter how hard I tried, I had never managed to obtain even close to a ton of beans per hectare, but since the researchers from the” Jorge Dimitrov “Institute brought us varieties of seeds that were more resistant to the climate and taught us new planting techniques , things did begin to change, and now my yields are above 1.8 tons per hectare and I will continue to grow “, Matos Roselló, a member of the Credit and Services Cooperative (CCS), assures this newspaper. José Martí ”, from Sabanilla, belonging to the city of Bayamo.
This CCS is precisely one of the extension areas of the Agricultural Experiment Station of the “Jorge Dimitrov” Institute for Agricultural Research, a center of scientific reference and technological innovation, which arrives this December 14 at its first 40 years of work, focused on the advancement of the feeding program, animal reproduction and environmental activity.
Directed since its emergence to contribute through scientific work and innovation to sustainable agricultural development in Granma and the eastern region of the country, Dimitrov has also been the head of research for the management of goats and sheep, for the production of food in the mountain ecosystems and in the coffee, rice and tobacco branches, as well as other studies related to the use of residuals from the sugar agro-industry for animal feed, fertilization and reduction of the polluting load to the environment.
«Currently, our purpose continues to work in order to introduce varieties and clones in the productive poles of the province that adapt to the climatic conditions of the eastern territory where agriculture is carried out under stress conditions, taking into account the high temperatures, the high salinity of soils and drought, ”says Alexander Álvarez Fonseca, director of the Agricultural Experiment Station, located in the rural community of Jucaibama, on the outskirts of Bayamo.
For this, the Experimental Station, under the leadership of Dimitrov, strengthens the production of basic seed in Granma; guarantees the conservation of original seeds from the selection of mother plants; and strengthens scientific work with producers in the field.
“Although we are not in a position to give the farmer the fertilizer or the technological package that he needs for his cultivation, we have achieved, through training, that they use the biological media produced in Cuba in a preventive way,” Álvarez Fonseca highlights.
In this way, as recognized by the manager, in Granma one of the contributions that distinguishes the Institute’s work is to have raised the bean production chain from 0.8 tons per hectare to 1.5 tons on average, including producers that even reach the three tons per hectare.
“Having obtained these yields in adverse conditions due to the characteristics of the soils and the climate of the province is a very significant result,” he adds.
However, aware of the challenges Dimitrov still has regarding food production, Álvarez Fonseca mentions among his challenges the development of a genetic improvement program adapted to the weather conditions of eastern Cuba; be able to link more the work of science with the food sovereignty plan and the local self-sufficiency program; and contribute to better planning planting throughout the year.
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