Guatemala Looks in Cuba for Alternatives to Food Security
Guatemala Vice President, Eduardo Stein, met today with Cuban minister of the Food Industry (MINAL), Alejandro Roca, in search for alternatives to revert what he termed as a disastrous nutritional level in his country.

Stein, accompanied by several officials and businesspeople, was received by Roca and explained the problems faced by Guatemala to achieve equitative food distribution.

After defining food production as a strategic sector, both for the health of the people and the economy, the Vice Prez said his is a country not lacking in food production, but "very unjustly distributed." He praised the work of the Cuban medical brigade which permitted to expand health coverage in the country and reduce infant mortality, but there are still a lot of people with chronic malnutrition, he said.

Although the Central American country tries to find systemic solutions to that problem, local authorities lack the capacity to sustain rural families, who suffer legal insecurity and lack of access to the land.

Stein recognized the differences between the political and economic regimes of Guatemala and Cuba, but he said they want to learn from the island´s experience in order to improve the situation of Guatemalans.

He advanced the visit of Andres Botran, presidential commissioner for food security, who will meet Roca and other industry authorities in order to benefit from Cuba´s experience in this field.

The Cuban minister explained about the fall in per capita nutritional consumption during the 90s and the measures applied to revert that situation. Cubans´ daily average intake is now of 3,600 kilocalories and 80 grams of protein.

Cuba looked for national solutions and turned to nutritional elements like the soybean, grain that is being processed in 27 plants throughout the country.

In spite of limitations imposed by the worsening US blockade on the island, the Cubans -high consumers of cereal- eat today 60 kilograms (140 pounds) of rice per year and a similar amount of wheat meal.

Cuba has made emphasis on what it can produce efficiently and at a lower cost, stressed the minister when he referred to the increasing production and consumption of food.