Cuban economy grows by 1.4 percent in 2009 Havana, Dec 20 (acn) The Cuban economy grew by 1.4 percent in 2009, in a year in which,
besides the effect of U.S. blockade, it also suffered the impact of the global economic and
financial crisis, reported on Sunday Marino Murillo, vice-president of the Council of
Ministers and Minister of Planning and the Economy.
  Murillo told the Cuban Parliament in this capital that these results are consistent with
the very complex external situation in which the country has had to develop, also forced to
pay its international commitments.
  In the presence of Cuban President Raul Castro, the Cuban official read the report
containing the performance of the budget in 2009, and the guidelines of the country’s Economic
and Social Plan for 2010.
  Also in 2009, he explained, it was necessary to continue the recovery from the devastation
caused by three hurricanes in 2008 and elaborated on the fact that 1.4 percent is below the
six percent growth initially expected in the GDP, but that the agricultural, transport and
service sectors behaved beyond predictions.
  Murillo reported that in 2010 Cuba will continue working not to incur in expenditures
exceeding income and will prioritize, therefore, productions generating hard currency and
begin only investments that will contribute to this purpose and have the required supplies
from the start.
  The 4th Ordinary Session of the National Assembly of the People's Power, underway at
Havana´s Convention Center, opened with a minute’s silence in honor of Commander of the
Revolution Juan Almeida.
   Cuban Parliament President Ricardo Alarcon announced that the meeting was attended by 550
deputies (89.58 percent), and highlighted the presence as guest of Boshab Evaristo, President
of the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  At the moment of writing this report, the Cuban Parliamentarians were discussing the report
presented by Murillo and that of the Commission for Economic Affairs, in charge of its
president Osvaldo Martinez. Legislator Forecasts Growth in Cuban Economy for 2010  Cuban Deputy Osvaldo Martinez said on Sunday that Cuba's economic growth
for the coming year, estimated at 1.9 percent, will have to be achieved in a global economy
scenario where uncertainty about the possible course of the global crisis prevails.
   In his address to participants in the National Assembly of the People's Power underway at
Havana’s Convention Center, the president of the Commission for Economic Affairs said that the
challenge Cuba will face in 2010 will not be smaller than the one it confronted with during
the current year, "but we have, he said, a profound revolution, based on social justice”.
  Martinez described as a real deed the maintenance of national stability and social
achievements, despite the severe limitations posed by the international economic and financial
crisis, the U.S. blockade and the effects of the 2008 hurricanes.
  Cuba’s infant mortality rate of 4.7 per one thousand live births, the maintenance of life
expectancy at 78 years and the effective struggle against the A-H1N1 virus were highlighted by
the legislator among the nation’s achievements despite pitfalls.
  Also, the strengthening of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas, of which Cuba is a
founding member, and the deepening of relations with China, were among other positive aspects
of the year about to end, during which the economy registered a small growth of 1.4 percent.
  Martinez also reported that it was necessary to revise expenditures planned for the country
in order not to pay more than what revenues allowed, and to review investments to concentrate
them on activities that provided income in that currency and replace imports.
  The 4.3 percent increase in milk production and therefore the saving in imports of 2,300
tons of powdered milk, as well as the four percent decrease in the use of fuel with a saving
of 70 million dollars for the reduction of electricity consumption in the state sector were
also areas highlighted by the deputy.
   He explained that for the coming year it will be necessary to continue the policy of
replacing imports, particularly food, while fuel consumption should not increase, with greater
discipline in the investment plan, among other actions.
  Martinez noted that, at a world level, the economic growth will be negative in about one
percent, while in Latin America, only half of the countries, including Cuba, registered
increases in their GDP’s, and that there are nations, like Mexico, for example, registering
a 6.7 percent decrease.
  According to the report, the country's budget at the end of the year had a deficit below
the 826 million pesos that had been anticipated, and represented 4.8 percent of the GDP, below
that of 2008.
  A reduction of 3.5 percent of the GDP in the budgetary deficit is expected by 2010, as a
result of the reduction of running expenditures of the budgeted activity and of loss
compensations, and the non-financing of investments in enterprises, among other measures.
  Previously, Marino Murillo, Minister of Planning and the Economy, presented the report on
the execution of the budget in 2009 and the guidelines for the country's Economic and Social
Plan for 2010, which was followed by a debate on the subject by the legislators, who in
general called for a greater saving of resources and increased productivity and efficiency. Cuba’s Food Sector is Growing, says Minister  Cuban Food Industry Minister Maria del Carmen Concepcion said on
Saturday that this sector has experienced a steady growth in recent years, despite financial
shortfalls and subjective problems.
  While addressing the deputies to the National Assembly of the People's Power meeting at
Havana’s Convention Center, the minister pointed out that mercantile production advances, in
spite of the effects of the current international economic crisis.
  Concepcion said the ministry's strategic program seeks to ensure a sustained increase,
replace imports, and increase exports, productivity and efficiency.
  This strategy by the Food Ministry is related to industrialization in agriculture and
fisheries, milling, flour and its derivatives, as well as alcoholic beverages, soft drinks and
water.
  Many investments were made, including the assembly of modules at bakeries, soy yogurt
plants, factories and lines of noodles, among others, he remarked.
  Nevertheless, she said, we can still appreciate technological deficiencies, instability in
the supply of raw materials, insufficient quality and lack of control in some entities.
  Agriculture Minister Ulises Rosales del Toro stressed that despite the growth achieved in
production, it is still far from solving the problems of feeding the people.
  Rosales del Toro noted that the greatest efforts must be aimed at working directly in the
countryside, where production plans are actually materialized.
  The addresses of parliamentarians during Saturday’s session were mainly directed to
presenting experiences related to work in local mini-industries and to the quality and
guaranteeing of consumables to supply the network of wholesalers.
 The final session of the fourth ordinary session of the Seventh Legislature of the National
Assembly of the People's Power will take place on Sunday at Havana’s Convention Center. New Members of the Cuban Council of State Elected  Commander of the Revolution Ramiro Valdes, Minister of Computing
and Communications, and Gladys Bejerano, General Comptroller of the Republic, were elected on
Sunday as new Vice-presidents of the Council of State.
 By direct and secret vote of the deputies to the National Assembly of the People’s Power,
Marino Murillo, vice-president of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Planning and the
Economy; and Luidmila Alamo, first secretary of the Young Communists’ League, were elected as
members of the Council of State.
 Also elected to fill positions were Isis Diez,  vice-president of the Provincial
Administration Council of Las Tunas; Kirenia Diaz, a specialist in validation of Havana’s
Finlay Institute; and Sergio Rodriguez, Director of the National Research Institute for
Tropical Root Vegetables in Villa Clara.
  Previously, debates on Sunday at Havana’s Convention Center during the meeting of the
National Assembly of the People’s Power revolved around the content of the report on the
behavior of the national budget in 2009 and on the guidelines for the country’s Economic and
Social Plan for 2010, the two of them presented by Murillo.
  Another agreement adopted during Sunday’s plenary session calls all Cubans to intensify the
struggle for the release of the five antiterrorist compatriots unjustly incarcerated in the
United States and to demand their immediate release from US President Barack Obama.
  The legislators’ support of the positions of Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia at the Summit on
Climate Change that recently concluded in Copenhagen against the unpopular agreement imposed
by a group of powerful countries on behalf of all nations in the world, was also ratified.