Diaz-Canel, Cuba needs to apply more science in agriculture

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has called for increasing the application of science and innovation in the country's agricultural production.

During a meeting with researchers and experts participating in the program for food and nutritional sovereignty, the President referred to this issue and listened to criteria on the existing potentialities and obstacles that limit better results.

Obtaining veterinary vaccines through genetic engineering was at the center of the debate, an activity in which the island has decades of experience and involves numerous scientific and academic institutions, national TV reported.

Diaz-Canel highlighted the use of Gavac, a drug for tick control in cattle that since its application cases of hemoparasites have decreased, as well as has allowed the reduction of the use of chemicals in the control of the pathogen.

Dr. Mario Pablo Estrada, director of agricultural research at the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, said that the use of this vaccine helps the country save more than 15 million dollars annually, besides lowering the incidence of deaths in cattle due to this pest.

He commented that work is underway on a new vaccine candidate that is effective for other tick species, and referred to the achievements made with the Porvac vaccine, which attacks the classical swine fever virus, the main threat to pork production on the island.