Raul: Cuban Economy will Continue to be in the Hands of the People

Property relations determine the social system of a country, so the means of production remain in the hands of workers, pointed out Army General Raul Castro on Saturday.

During the presentation of the Central Report of the 7th Congress of the Cuban Communist Party (PCC), Raul said that the state form of national economy is the real basis of the strength of the nation.

The nation recognizes private property, he said, without this meaning in any way the beginning of the restoration of capitalism.

It is about, he stated, calling things by their name without taking refuge in euphemism to hide reality.

There are, he acknowledged, small, medium and micro private enterprises operating without legal status, the guideline adopted at the Sixth Congress allows them to exist, although, added the First Secretary of the PCC, this does not imply the concentration of property and wealth, and private companies will act within well-defined boundaries and as a complementary element of the economic fabric of the country.

While referring to economic growth in the five-year period, Raul said that it was insufficient to ensure development and improve the population's consumption.

For this reason, he commented, we got the country's internal finances into shape and renegotiated foreign debt to restore the Cuban economy's international credibility and favor trade and investment for development.

We can not, he stressed, go back in this area and never again deep in debt.

Regarding the issue of agriculture, Raul asserted that despite the series of measures implemented to eliminate obstacles, the pace of growth is insufficient.

Each year, he underlined, millions of pesos are spent to import food that could be produced in the country and even exported.

The 7th Party Congress, which opened today at Havana's Convention Center, will end on April 19.