BBC NEWS
April 2, 2008
Cuba has begun lending unused state land to private farmers and co-operatives as part of efforts to boost agricultural output.
Officials estimate about half of all arable land in Cuba is currently underused or fallow.
The government has already started to pay farmers higher prices for some products, such as potatoes.
The national farmers' association said the move was to encourage production of cash crops such as tobacco and coffee.
This is the latest reform announced under new President Raul Castro.
In recent weeks, the state has lifted a ban on its citizens staying in hotels previously reserved for foreigners and allowed Cubans unrestricted access to mobile phones for the first time.
Import cuts
Everyone who wants to produce tobacco will be given land to produce it and other crops, Orlando Lugo, president of the island's national farmers association, told the Associated Press news agency.
Increasing production of cash crops like tobacco could boost foreign exchange earnings while a rise in agricultural output could cut Cuba's food import bill.
The island spends about $1.6bn (£806m) annually on food imports and Mr Castro has launched a major effort to increase food production since he became acting president in 2006.
He took office in February this year, when his brother, Fidel, stepped down.
Analysts welcomed the agricultural move, but said it was not yet fully clear what it would mean.
If the latest move means "all land that is not being used, like for private farmers, co-operatives and state farms, is available, that is positive," Carmelo Mesa-Lago, a Cuba economics expert at the University of Pittsburgh told the Associated Press.
"Assuming of course, they have the freedom to sow and sell whatever they want."
In the early days of the Communist revolution, farmers had to hand their land over to the state or collective farms.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/7327134.stm
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