When I worked in agriculture one of the greatest problems was the distribution system.

The December 1993 national assembly sessions included an alimentary report by Candido Palmero, former head of agricultural contingents. He said that the contingents and the new cooperative UBPCs could guarantee their production goals but he couldn’t guarantee that “you will eat all harvested crops, because we don’t have our own trucks to distribute goods.”
Candido considered the state centralised food distribution centres, Acopio, a disaster!

"We recommend that farm workers have the responsibility, authority and means to do the entire job, from breaking ground to delivery.”

Although Fidel and other state leaders expressed interest in changing the system and distributing directly to local markets, there remains much to be done. In contrast to then, however, other forms of distribution are allowed. For example, most ANAP (National Association of Small Farmers) cooperatives have converted to the Credit and Service Cooperative (CCS), which own and share farm equipment, and many own their own distribution trucks, a significant advantage over most state cooperatives.

Most private producers distribute directly to designated farmers markets, but they must buy gasoline and parts in the convertible currency (cucs). If they distribute their own crops, they also lose precious time from the fields or they must employ drivers and (illegally) vendors.

Nevertheless, direct distribution to market places is common fare for 25,000 individual farmers, for nearly 2000 CCSs and the remaining 750 Agricultural Production Cooperatives (CPAs), and the farmer-soldier EJT. Even a few profitable UBPCs and granjas have sufficient funds to buy vehicles and distribute directly to markets, or they set up stands where people can buy those products remaining after sales to the state.

Distribution and Investigative Journalism

Matías Cabrera did not see any problem with the traditional Acopio system.
" Improvements have occurred since your time. Both producers and distributors are better in advising one another concerning times of harvest, how much shall be collected and what days the trucks will arrive,” the UBPC farm director told me.

" We get three different prices for our products—one for the libreta rations, another for the state controlled farm markets, and a third from the tourist hotels. The Acopio collects and distributes more exactly.

" Thievery of our products is prevented because a farmer rides in the trucks. He observes what is delivered where and sees that the correct payment is noted. Control is better.”

In February 2006, the Communist party newspaper, “Granma”, conducted an unusually critical investigative series about problems in agriculture, farm markets and distribution. “Granma” confronted distribution problems, which Matías apparently oversaw, when it interviewed the Acopios national leader, Frank Castaneda Santalla.

"We recognise that our transportation is deteriorated. Four hundred trucks are inactive for lack of parts and repairs. We have 1,200 trucks for the whole country, and only 60% are active. The Ministry of Agriculture has recently invested funds in tires and batteries, in order to reactivate 172 trucks and 92 trailers. Most of our trucks are from the old socialist Europe. They have 20 years or more of use and consume enormous amounts of fuel.”

Acopios also have problems with too few front line employees.

"We have 17,000 employees…but 40% are administrators and bureaucrats. We propose to reduce them by fifty percent.”
Castaneda added that Acopio workers need better wages and an improved image.

Both Castaneda and Vice-Minister of Agriculture Juan Pérez Lamas, whom “Granma” also interviewed, maintain that the chief cause of insufficient foodstuffs is not with Acopio distribution weakness, however, but lays in insufficient production.

Castaneda said that illegal distribution intermediaries would disappear if farmers were motivated to produce more, if they would be content, “to live on the income from their harvests and not motivated to sell at higher prices.”

In “Granma´s” February 21 article, Ciego de Ávila province Acopio leader, Giuvel Rodríguez Rivero, contradicted Castaneda and Pérez.

"The distribution of agricultural products is an old challenge, which has not been totally solved. The principal problem is lack of transport,” he said.
“I am of the opinion that the Acopio is not serious. It does not comply with its commitments, and should be more flexible in ratifying sowing (and harvest) plans exactly. And when the Acopio delays in collecting harvests, they are sold to whomever appears. Is this not an illegality? I won’t deny it (but in this way) the harvests are not lost. We know there are receptive stomachs.

In another “Granma” interview, ANAP´s president, Orlando Lugo Fonte, who is a member of the State Council, offered a frank portrayal of problems: contractual agreements often not made or completed, lack of packaging causing loss of “much food harvested”, and lack of weights where crops are delivered at the Acopios.

"There are very few animal weights so their weight is estimated by a functionary; and there are too few weights at farmer markets. Another major problem for farmers is late payment of delivered crops by the ministries of agricultural and sugar.

"Ministry functionaries are often undisciplined in setting prices in time for farmers to buy seed. And the ministries buy products at different prices based on quality. But in most markets, the sellers do not make quality distinctions in sale prices. Farmers must also pay 29% of the product price for distribution and commercialisation,” Lugo explained.

Sometimes farmers’ income does not meet their costs. Lugo said that the more expensive supply-demand farmer markets are often supplied by self-employed intermediaries. They usually drive to the fields and buy products directly from farmers. And there is less control in these markets, including veterinary certificates, than in the state-run markets, where prices are set by the state and quality checks are made by inspectors.

" Granma´s” interview with Vice-Minister Pérez focused on food marketing and common complaints of high food prices. Pérez, a former farmer, offered the following figures: each person has a monthly need of 30 pounds of all forms of vegetables, grains and fruits, requiring 2.5 million tons. Another 2.5 million tons are produced for food consumption outside the home—restaurants, tourist centres, hospitals, canned goods for export.
Seventy percent of household foodstuff is sold in the state’s 13,800 free markets. In addition, there are 400 small organic food stands where prices are often arbitrarily set.

"Granma” asked the vice-minister why prices are often arbitrarily established, why payments are late, and why farmers often end up on the short end of the stick.

"We are strengthening the Acopios...We make imprecise estimates of harvests and this results in inadequate control in the organisation of packing and transportation…We have made up for most back payments and this problem should disappear.”

According to Acopio leader Castaneda, the Acopios lack at least 6,000 scales. Regarding the lack of weighing products, Pérez simply admitted that this occurs.

Pérez added that there is still a scarcity of means of production and seeds to meet all farmers needs. Many types of seeds are sold to farmers at subsidised prices. However, the state can not provide sufficient fertilisation, so what there is is sold to the highest yielding farmers.

Nevertheless, “farmers receive more resources than before: modern irrigation technology (for some farms), using less fuel and more electricity, and there are more tractors and oxen than before the special period. But we lack work clothing, boots, machetes and sharpening files, tractor parts and tires...We deal out to the best producers…no type of farmer is discriminated against. All farmers get free technical advice from state institutions.”

"Our biggest challenge is to reduce the high prices. To do so we must achieve greater production.”

Other problems include, “undisciplined functionaries, and intermediaries who live off the sweet of the workers, which has to do with our lack of control in the ministry. We must confront the irresponsible ones.”

Despite the many problems, the Special Period alimentary reforms have definitely advanced the battle for food. The state has increased its prices for farm products—up to five times the value in five years. Individual and cooperative private farmers are assured continued ownership of their lands by new recruitment. Many of the younger generation, which had left their family farms, have returned, and other youths, including women, have become farmers. Private farmers are assured profitable commercialisation by employing accountants and technicians.

While the quantity and quality of produce has greatly improved, the reforms have led to the introduction of a petty bourgeoisie and a small exploited farm proletariat, allowing some private farmers and the illegal wholesale intermediaries to live far above median standards. They form part of the “new rich”, which the state combats in its “Battle of Ideas” morality propaganda campaign.

[Printed in Morning Star as "From farm to table", May 16]

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