Whoever sees her in the corridors of the Palacio de las Convenciones, on the occasion of the XIII Congress of AnapNational Association of Small Farmers (Anap, in Spanish), among red dresses and some shadows on her eyelids, will not imagine that Odalis Rosales Elías, president of the Juan José Verdecia Cooperative in Chaveco, in Palma Soriano, Santiago de Cuba, hardly has time to look at herself in the mirror.
She recently received the honorary title of Heroine of Labor of the Republic of Cuba. Where can her nobility be? I ask myself, and I find the answer in the sugarcane cooperative she directs. It was founded on December 14, 1979, «and has been profitable for 45 years,» she says, with pride in her eyes and commitment in her calloused hands.
«The current sugarcane yield averages 42 tons per hectare. Production is 80 percent contracted to the Dos Ríos mill. This year we will achieve our goals, despite the difficulties with inputs and fuel. If we save the sugarcane, we save Cuba!
«Diversification is a priority. We have agricultural products like cassava, sweet potatoes… Everything is rainfed. In Palma we have to wait for the rain to plant, but don’t believe it, we did it with water tank trucks behind the laborers, in the furrow.
«We also have a cattle ranch, a bull fattening farm, and we are even involved in beekeeping to produce honey,» says the woman who has been a member of this grassroots organization of Anap Santiago for 42 years, since she was 17 years old, and for the last 15 years as president of some 150 cooperative members.
We talked about the advance payment to the associates. They set around ten thousand pesos per month and the profits are around 60 thousand pesos per year. She did not fail to mention the community and social contributions that give prestige to her entity, as well as the participation of the cooperative in the Saturday fairs.
Odalis is nearly 60 years old, though her spirit and endurance belie her age.
«Working in the fields is hard work, but planting sugar cane is hard work, and in the absence of fuel, we planted 48 hectares with oxen.
«We already have better conditions for this stage, having secured a certain amount of fuel. The cane-growing areas are fertilized with lebame, which is very similar to urea, to support the growth and strength of the grass, a process that we did behind the cutter, with a pick,» she explains.
This heroine’s family tradition is strong, and her passion for the land, its cultivation and harvesting comes from her parents. On May 17th, Cuban Peasant’s Day, she will receive an honorary title from the Council of State, which will mark her life’s work and at the same time will be a commitment, because every day more heroic deeds will have to come from the land.
