President Miguel Diaz-Canel spoke online at the summit with a dozen heads of state from the region. Author: Revolutionary Research

MEXICO CITY, 5 April. — This Wednesday, eleven countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Cuba, agreed to determine the conditions and necessary measures, taking into account the realities of each country, so that the exchange of basic products of the basket and intermediate goods takes place under the best conditions, and with priority to reduce the cost of these products for the most poor and vulnerable segments of the population.

This is the first of seven points contained in the Declaration, released after a virtual meeting convened by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, given the region’s urgency to implement steps that help mitigate inflation and, in particular, rising food prices.

More than a declaration of principles, the text is a program of concrete action to achieve this goal, followed by another meeting scheduled for May.

It was agreed that cooperation measures that would materialize the goal of improving commercial exchanges would be determined by a technical working group, which would include representatives from each of the participating States, with an eye on basic products and resources and, in particular, on fertilizers. and organic, “determined by the countries participating in this summit, in accordance with the relevant multilateral, regional, sub-regional and bilateral agreements binding each country,” the document published by the LP notes.

In addition, this working group will develop an action plan that will enable trade facilitation measures to be implemented within a reasonable period of time to cope with high prices for basic consumer goods and resources in order to promote food security and improve nutrition. .

To this end, it also addresses technology transfer and capacity-building cooperation, as well as what the text defines as “creating a virtuous cycle of prosperity, economic growth and sustainable development for Latin America and the Caribbean”.

The search for measures that lead to improved logistics conditions for more flexible and efficient access to basic consumer goods and resources is one of the priorities of the work of the aforementioned group, which should also recommend measures to improve the efficiency of the import and export of goods through ports. and borders, as well as the exchange of intermediate resources, machines and technologies in the interests of increasing agricultural productivity.

The agreements also include the promotion of measures aimed at facilitating access to international loans and increasing multilateral financing of agricultural, agro-industrial and infrastructure projects for the transport of goods.

The appointment involves coordinating efforts with manufacturers, buyers, carriers and private sector logistics operators, as well as with other economic actors, to monitor agreements and their results.

In this context, the Summit welcomed the holding on May 6 and 7 in Cancun, Mexico, of a meeting between the business community, including family and farm organizations, and high-level authorities of participating countries.

In addition, the continuation of work was entrusted within the framework of the obligation established during the 7th convocation. Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) Summit held on January 24, 2023 in Buenos Aires on the basis of the Special Declaration on Food Systems and Traditional and Sustainable Knowledge and Practices and the Celac 2025 Plan for Food Security and the eradication of hunger.

The meeting also called for other countries in the region to be invited to join this initiative “to contribute to the overall well-being of Latin America and the Caribbean.”

The heads of state and/or government of Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines attended the summit in his capacity as Interim President Selak, LP said. .

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Speaking at the summit, which he attended accompanied by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla and other government officials, President Miguel Díaz-Canel noted that the first merit of the meeting lies in the “sense of urgency caused by the complex issues of time that run” and
He urged us to take advantage of the potential, opportunities and political will for the urgent implementation of practical actions that will have a great impact on the well-being of our peoples.

The Cuban President agreed to proposals to facilitate and expand the exchange of goods, to which he added the abolition of tariffs and other non-tariff barriers, as well as resort to barter trade, a method of compensation based on the exchange of goods. and services between importer and exporter without cash flow. “This is an attractive form for Cuba because of the severe restrictions imposed on us by the blockade and the arbitrary and unjustified listing of states that the United States believes are sponsoring terrorism, which seriously limits the country’s financial relations,” he said. .

He also advocated encouraging the exchange of (essential) services as well as cooperation to increase food production and access to, especially basic foodstuffs and necessities.

Diaz-Canel suggested “to the maximum and immediate extent” to use the production and industrial capacities installed in our countries in order to promote complementarity.

As an example, he cited the presence in Cuba of two factories for the production of fertilizers. “However, we do not have the necessary raw materials for this. To produce NPK, we need phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium. If some countries agree with Cuba on the supply of these materials, we will be able to produce fertilizers and export them, and I believe that this scheme can be used in other areas and in other countries. In this way, we supply to the market of this group of countries and those that will be included in the future, the necessary product for food production at a better and more stable price than the one that the international situation has imposed on us,” he said. explained.

The Cuban president also suggested working on a technology transfer model for food production, an area that is highly developed in Argentina, he said.

In the service sector, Diaz-Canel confirmed, Cuba certainly offers a wealth of experience, especially in the health sector.

“We could provide 1,000 general practitioners to reach the population that needs it, as well as apply programs to combat chronic diseases such as diabetes and blindness.”

The Cuban President also proposed to resolve the issue of connecting maritime and air transport in order to provide intra-regional distribution networks.

“To do this, it will be necessary to make the most of the logistics and storage capacities of our countries, helping to reduce transportation prices,” he said.

Díaz-Canel expressed his confidence that the initial proposals and actions put forward at the meeting will soon be extended to other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, and recalled that the commitment to an inclusive vision and
regional cooperation will be the cornerstone of common efforts. “So you can also take advantage of Celac’s advances,” he said.

“Count on the will and commitment of Cuba. We are very interested in concrete and fast results. We cannot be careless or slow while our peoples are waiting,” he said.

Source: Juventud Rebelde