-DATE- 19610826 -YEAR- 1961 -DOCUMENT_TYPE- SPEECH -AUTHOR- F. CASTRO -HEADLINE- PRODUCTION CONGRESS -PLACE- CUBA -SOURCE- HAVANA RADIO CENTRO -REPORT_NBR- FBIS -REPORT_DATE- 19610828 -TEXT- CASTRO ADDRESSES PRODUCTION CONGRESS Havana Radio Centro in Spanish 1420 GMT 26 August 1961--E (Summary) A congress of production has been convoked, and all those who are concerned with national production are here. What are the objectives of this congress? There are several. First, to inform the people, to let them know what is going on and what can be done, to let them know what our difficulties are and what are our possibilities and so that the people will participate. Nothing can be done without the participation of the people. We could all be in agreement here and adopt good plans and means but when you return to the workers and they do not know what went on here, it would be impossible for them to give all their effort to their work. Then all the work would be left to you. You all must understand that each worker must feel as one with that effort and understand that effort. You must all feel bound to the people; they are going to be bound to the work. Then you will not have responsibility to the government but to the people. In your hands is our national production; on you depends national supplies of all kinds--agricultural and manufactured--and their distribution here are represented all the federations, the people'se, granges, livestock cooperatives, peasants associations, foreign trade, the Ministry of Interior trade, INRA, and the Ministry of Industry. Practically all the ministries are represented. The revolutionary organizations, women's federation, youth rebel types, committees of defense, the workers through their federations, and the CTC, are also here, we face our problems. The revolution has advanced greatly and continuously in all fields. The revolution is not faced with a crisis of production. Nevertheless, we have problems of supply. It derives principally from the fact that our people have a capacity of consumption of 500 million pesos more each year over the capacity of consumption they had before the triumph of the revolution. This naturally has raised demand in an extraordinary way. Thus the problem to resolve is how, with the resources we have, to satisfy the demand for all the basic articles for the people. That is of great importance for the revolution, economically, socially and politically. We know that in other goals the revolution has already gained results, and that from this great congress we will also have great results. We have in our hands the totality or almost all of national production. In some things the solution of shortages in some articles cannot be solved immediately. The greatest number of problems we faced in order--first agriculture, then industry, then foreign trade, then interior trade, and then transportation. In each sector of production different colleagues will speak. After them, we will determine subjects for discussion. It is possible that each one of you may be called on to speak and explain. Each one of you must place his problem before us through your representative. After the speeches all your written suggestions may be turned in. In that manner, the fundamental questions will be discussed by the congress. Some questions cannot be isolated into separate fields. if we are capable, we can analyze all those problems in an orderly manner. Then we will make a resume after the congress is ended. It could also be that some questions will not be discussed due to lack of time or due to lack of material. In that case in the final report those questions will be dealt with. This is going to require great order on our part. We are in a hot hall. We are going to be here a long time. There will be short intermissions for meals. It was planned that this thing last two days, but due to unforeseen circumstances it may last three days. According to the number of discussions, we may have two or three sessions daily. As long as the people know what our difficulties are and what we can and what we cannot do, the majority of the people will participate in the national effort. This meeting has aroused certain expectations among the people. It has had the certainty of having dispelled doubts among all you here present. It is a review of the work you have been doing, a recounting of your task. Among the people, there is extraordinary interest in what is going to be discussed here, because any shortage affects them. We will analyze problems and measures to be applied to them. We intend to analyze the goals of production, and to acknowledge here before the people what may have been to discredit anybody. This is a meeting of revolutionaries, of responsible friends who are doing their best. We are meeting to constructively criticize, to find new means to face problems and to obtain positive results, and to discuss problems with honesty and responsibility. It is impossible that an assembly of 3,000 all participate. What is important is that everybody be represented and that all that is of interest to the people be brought up. It is impossible for all of us 3,000 to speak. But all should be heard through somebody. We expect the greatest order, the greatest discipline. It is impossible for all to take the floor. We are all going to carry on this congress so that these problems can be solved. Some of the issues are in regard to imports. We have a bank for imports. Some problems concern industrial articles-- that organization is here represented. Some concern agriculture and that organization is here. Now we have the problem of distribution and transportation of these supplies; there are articles such as lard which requires a time of about 18 months to resolve. There are articles which we can resolve in less time. There is a series of articles which would not have been short if we had had a little foresight. Sometimes we have gone on great agricultural programs to supply lard, cotton, and so forth. We have planted great acreages for some things. Yet nevertheless we are still short. We started having a shortage of potatoes because something else was short. The lack of one product would cause shortages in others. In general we should aspire to resolve all problems that are possible to resolve and we would have no excuse for not resolving those problems which are in our power to resolve. As a consequence of blockades by imperialism and economic aggression, there are those problems which we cannot resolve right away. This we can explain to the people and they will be satisfied, but those things which can be resolved we have the duty to resolve, because in the same way that the people have placed all their confidence and all their faith in us, we must respond to that confidence. As we did when we mobilized and managed to annhilate the enemy invaders in less than 72 hours, we must likewise win this battle of production. For the enemy not only has attacked us with arms, it has attacked us on the economic front. That is why the enemy took our sugar quota and blockaded our repair parts for transport. It prevented us from getting raw materials. It has blockaded our imports, taken away our quotas, prevented us from getting credits, sabotaged our plants, and reduced to a minimum our trade with the United States. Now it talks of new measures against us in its impotence, because of all the failures of the past. The enemy is trying to kill us in our economy. For the enemy, power is to take the profit from the sweat and blood of the workers. That is why, when a nation tries to establish its own culture and give its people a better standard of living with rights for all, the enemy forces try to crush the revolution with their stealthy criminal measures and why they tried to injure us in our economy. But they did not take into account our revolutionary spirit which has faced all these measures. We know how to defend our country. They thought that the masses would turn against the revolution because lard was scare. Much attention will be required for many hours and it is certain that the people will listen with great interest. It is a revolutionary act, a very democratic act, and the people will be very satisfied because they were previously unaware of all our efforts and advances: They do not know of all of these things, but we know the enthusiastic spirit of the people, a revolutionary spirit which is growing every day. They are offering sacrifices by working in the fields where they were not accustomed. You all know how the men responded to the call for militia, how they answered the call for committees of defense and the work they are performing, how any call for volunteers has been answered, how many who had never cut cane before went out. The people have always answered almost in unanimity. When we talked or recruiting 100,000 youths we did not know whether we had that many available, but we knew that the people would appear. We must turn each man into an active participant of the revolution so that each person knows the problems and is conscious of our future, and that each one is responsible in his work center to accomplish these work and these goals. This is what we are going to do to win this battle of production as we are doing in the massive education of our people. (Applause) The enemy thought the masses would blame the revolution instead of the imperialists when difficulties arose. But the enemy has been mistaken in other things. Our masses are not as the enemy thinks but patriots who are accumulating knowledge and also accumulating hate for the enemies of its progress. It is not enough that the masses remain firm with the revolution. We must use every means at our disposal to give our people the maximum of welfare even in the midst of this phase of imperialism--even in the midst of these years which are the hardest. The people are always prepared to support the government and will continue to support it even more if they know that we are fighting for them. If we are doing the maximum, it is possible to face shortages and difficulties. That is why this historical congress is being held. We must immediately now give the floor to colleague Regiono Gotti (applause) who will speak about the JUCEI, then colleague Rios on industry. I am going to mention them swiftly. No applause, please. Then Martel for sugar, for ANAP Pepe Ramires (applause). Shut up. The fisheries--Perez, Barba--fruit; Cabre--machines. Then after their speeches we will discuss some of the questions on agriculture and we will have a critique on that field. Then we will have (a talk on?) industries--Che will speak. (Applause) Then we will have one speaker in the name of the sugar industry, then mining, then a discussion on industry, then one on the livestock industry, then foreign trade, the interior trade by ministers of each one of them. This is not a strict order but this is basically what we are going to have. These are the men who can give the information needed. It is possible that some of you may have to come up here and tell us about your particular charge. In that way we hope to finish this congress in two or three days. CASTRO SPEAKS ON MOUNTAINEER PROBLEMS Havana Radio Centro in Spanish 0048 GMT 28 August 1961--E (Speech by Fidel Castro at national production congress) (Summary) Today we have a solution to the problem of the peasant. We give him credit to plant cacao and coffee. Some peasants will have land of not so much value due to mountains. Some will plant trees. There are families who suffered much during the fighting, and thus there were plans to set up hospitals in mountain areas. There were many plans concerning the mountain regions and they had to be solved. Recently the peasant acquired credit, but there was nothing in the stores. When this happens everybody (finds out?). The time comes when currency has to be saved and the country has to take some economic measure as a result of enemy action. (But then the cities got things and the country did not?). What I want to say is that there was a disproportional development between capital and the rest of the country. (Castro then makes some comparisons between consumption in Havana and in the rest of the country--Ed.) This unequal development shows that the country did not develop as fast as the city. We have here electric light, frigidaires, and so on. We are going to send codfish to the mountains. We are going to send coffee to the mountains where we have many literacy brigades. The country people have families to feed. If we have some scarcities we are going to share these scarcities with the rest of the country. The forgotten part of the country made many sacrifices. Codfish will go to the mountains as well as condensed milk. Basically there will be much going to the mountains. Of course some will stay in the cities. Many products were sent to the mountains and that is why they did not appear here. There are many articles which increased in production-- things for children and dietetic products. The production increased from 1957 to 1960--some 200 percent. Powered milk also is asked for children. That is being sent to the mountains. So when the city lacks some things it is because they are going to the mountains. This congress has heard various people. Some comrades are wonderful workers, but do not set things down well. Some would rather go and produce something rather than talk. Some comrades want to say certain things. Some of the comrades in provinces want to speak. -END-