Guantanamo.- A significant change in Cuba’s agricultural regulations allows land granted in usufruct to be inherited, including land belonging to individuals who have emigrated from the country.
Cuban citizens who reside abroad but maintain their legal status may also apply for land in usufruct.
The announcement was made by officials who explained that the new measures respond to longstanding requests from farmers.
Among the changes, improvements made by producers can now cover up to 5 percent of the total land area assigned to them.
Regarding housing, officials stated that when a producer achieves more than five consecutive years of positive results, authorization may be granted for the home built on the land to become the producer’s property.
They noted that there are cases of farmers who have maintained successful production records for 10 and even 15 years, representing an important incentive.
Pablo Palermo, president of a cooperative, emphasized the importance of cooperatives participating in decisions regarding land allocation.
“The cooperative knows who its best producers are, who deserves an opportunity and who does not,” he said.
“The most important development is that we now participate both in decisions related to the possible dissolution of cooperatives due to indiscipline and in ensuring the efficient use of land. We have been advocating for this for years,” he stated.
Officials explained that these transformations are intended to place idle or underused land into productive use. “If we do not produce more and do not bring more people back to the land, we will not move forward,” Tapia Fonseca stated.
Source: Radio Rebelde
