Guantanamo.- The presence of Yateras Municipality’s products on the tables of local residents and at the agricultural fairs held every Sunday in Guantánamo City—where farmers bring 35 to 40 tons of various products, particularly vegetables—attests to the determined response of this mountainous region’s agricultural community to the emergency food planting program.
This program was launched urgently at the behest of the Party, the government, and the provincial Agriculture Department, calling on farmers and other producers to recover within just two months from the severe damage inflicted on the sector by heavy rains in early September and October, followed by Hurricane Melissa.
In Yateras Municipality specifically, the situation was aggravated not only by Melissa but also by intense, prolonged rains lasting through the months of October, November, and early December. These adverse weather conditions caused significant delays in land preparation and planting.
Hurricane Melissa alone impacted 1,210 hectares of various crops and resulted in the loss of approximately 560 tons of produce. Plantains suffered the most, with 646 hectares affected—primarily plantations with developing bunches. Other hard-hit crops included cassava, sweet potato, corn, beans, and squash.
