Here are excerpts from the speech delivered Sunday, in Holgun, Cuba, by Rañl Castro, president of the Cuban Councils of State and Ministers:

On July 26, 2007, in CamagUey, I referred to the imperative need of turning back to the soil, to make it produce more. At the time, almost half the cultivable land was idle or deficiently exploited. At that moment, we made a call to publicize, as quickly as possible and without improvisation, every accomplishment by the outstanding producers in the state-run farm sector, and to stimulate the hard work they perform, as well as to definitely settle the harmful debts incurred by the state in the [farm] sector.

The granting of land in usufruct proceeds in a satisfactory manner, although insufficiencies persist in some municipalities more than others. Out of more than 110,000 applications made, about 82,000 have been approved so far, involving some 690,000 hectares, that is, 39 percent of the idle land.

I consider this to be too little. It is not a question of running out to distribute [land] uncontrollably; it is a question of doing it more efficiently. Of doing it in a more organized manner. And that's a top-priority strategic task.One of the speakers who preceded me said it was a national security issue to produce the goods that are available in this country, on which we spend hundreds of thousands of millions of dollars -- and I don't exaggerate -- to bring them from other countries.

The land is there! The Cubans are here! Let's see if we work better or not, if we produce or not, if we keep our word or not! [CHEERS]

It's not a question of shouting ``Motherland or death! Down with imperialism''! The blockade pummels us and the land lies there, waiting for our efforts. Even though the heat increasingly worsens, there's no alternative but to make [the land] produce. I think we're in agreement. [APPLAUSE]

As I fly in a helicopter the length and breadth of the country, I sometimes ask the pilot to circle over a hamlet or a city, etc. I can assure you that in most of them there is an excess of land -- good quality land, right next to our backyards -- that is not being cultivated.

That is why we're making plans to move ahead with intensive cultivation and irrigation, as much of it as possible. To provide water and resources. . . . Almost half of the land already distributed has been declared free of marabñ and other undesirable plants, and almost 225,000 hectares have been planted, that is, one third [of the distributed land]. We cannot feel at ease so long as there is a single hectare of land not usefully utilized and someone willing to make it produce. Any land that is not useful for the production of food must be used for the planting of trees.

Translated by Renato Perez for The Miami Herald.

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