Havana, May 15 (RHC) -– Focusing on increasing production yields, Cuban farmers opened the 11th Congress of the National Small Farmers Association, which groups some 400 thousand private and cooperative farmers throughout the island.

The forum will run until Sunday at Havana's International Convention Center with the participation of 700 delegates and 150 guests, representing the farmer´s organization, known by its Spanish acronym ANAP.

The organization's president, Rafael Santiesteban, said that agricultural yields have increased in several areas, including rice, beans, corn, pork and bee honey. However, the maximum production potentials have not been yet fully exploited, particularly in cooperative farms, said the farmers' leader.

This year the organization is seeking to engage the country's scientific area with the farming sector, so that technological advances and their potential benefits can be seen in the fields just as in the labs.

The increase of agricultural production is a strategic goal in Cuba to achieve food security and economic development, and in this regard the Small Farmers' Organization aims to play a crucial role.