• Submitted by: manso
• Business and Economy
• 03 / 24 / 2011

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HAVANA, Cuba, Mar 23 (acn) In an effort to stop the low production trend of the past few years, the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture has agreed to expand coffee plantations by nearly 17,791 acres.

Jose Antonio Labrada, production specialist of the Ministry's business group, told ACN the strategy will enable to replace old plants (over 27 years of exploitation) in the main coffee production areas of the country.

Labrada said this year's sown plants will be harvested in 2015 since different from other crops, it takes several years for a coffee plant to fully develop and produce fruits.

As part of the plan for the recovery of the sector, the ministry is also fostering urban agriculture establishing that each municipality should dedicate at least 2.47 acres to farming.

In Cuba, 87 percent of the coffee is produce in Santiago de Cuba,Guantanamo, Granma and Holguin. Among the new areas to be dedicated to the production of the grain is the municipality of San Andres, in tobacco-growing province of Pinar del Rio, where farmers are looking to use a controlled irrigation system.

According to figures by the National Association of Small Farmers, the Cuban coffee plan for 2010 was fulfilled by 72% as only a little bit more than 6,700 tons were collected, while more than 7,413 acres had been planted, which represent 10% more of the area needed to meet the plan.