Arriving at Picoteo de Capiro, 20 kilometers from the Baracoa City, can be to get rid of the fright of what was imagined by whoever is not from there. The road from Jamal was restored, the travel time is shortened and next to the road there is a Family Doctor's Office, a school and a store.
There is also electric service, although communicating by cell phone is a miracle in the middle of mountains populated with cocoa, coffee, fruits and animals essential for life in the countryside.
In one of those hills, Eleidi Rivera Pineda, producer of the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Credits and Service Cooperative, harvested when RadioBaracoa asked him for a dialogue.
Eleidi, they told me that your farm is one of the best producers of cacao in this area. What results do you have here?
"Before the cyclone, I had good results, but now I'm moving forward little by little."
Hurricane Matthew passed through here more than two years ago, what´s the good thing that happened from that moment on?
"You see that the plants are recovering a lot, because I have done a good job, cleaning and fertilizing the cocoa so that I have good results later".
That the plants are recovering I have evidence because I see many cocoa pods. What work does the cacao plantation demand?
"Well, I take care of it all the time because the cocoa needs attention so that it can produce."
What delivery plan do you have for the State?
"They make the plan according to the results of the previous year."
And how much have you delivered?
"I have delivered a little because from this month on the cocoa production will be more".
What plan do you have for this year?
"Fifty-three quintals of cocoa."
And what about the salary, how are you paid?
"It depends because if the CCS complies with the plan before the time it is approved, it is necessary to rehire, and that is why there are times that we have to wait, but we always receive the money monthly."
You are a young person, do you work on the land for pleasure or necessity?
"No, no, I like to work here in the countryside and I like the cocoa farm, because you can see that there is efficiency here".
People who are born in the countryside and stay working there generally start doing it from a very early age. How was it in your case?
"I was a child, my mother attended this area that was a cooperative, and I always helped her here to collect cocoa and then I turned 17 and stayed on the same farm that she attended."
How long have you been working on the farm?
"About over thirty years."
What can you say after that time?
"I can say that I stayed here because I saw performance after working on the land."
And do not you dream like so many people about settling in the city one day?
"No, no, because I've had the chance to go to the city and I've never wanted to leave here, because I feel good here."
There is still a lot of work to do. How do you dream about that future?
"I dream that we have to keep fighting here to be able to get ahead, that all this has good results so that the country has at least some economy, to support everyone who needs it."
I appreciate your words for La Voz del Toa Radio Station.
"Thank you, thank you very much for coming here so you know how we are here in the field."