Egg production was very depressed in the province of Las Tunas during 2024, accumulating 17 million 692 thousand units, barely 38.6 percent of the plan. The lack of specialized feed for laying hens, their replacement and starter chicks played a role in the non-fulfillment.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- However, the delivery of what was agreed upon with the Mother and Child Program for pregnant women in the territory was guaranteed and the demand for social consumption was met; that is, children's circles and other educational centers, as well as hospitals and maternity and nursing homes.
Overcoming this situation will not be easy, but it is the will of the poultry farmers, who also face other difficulties such as the advanced age of the animals, lack of fuel, and insufficient availability of trays for the collection of the postures.
Walsires Corrales Ávila, technical director of the entity, pointed out that the birds were able to recover, amid a very complex situation due to long periods with the shortage of nutrients that now remain vital to increasing laying gradually.
“That is the result of the dedication of the workers directly linked to production, including technicians and heads of collectives. Today we have the average mass to meet the plans each month and January has been the example.”
The first quarter of 2025 could mark the recovery of egg production in the territory. Currently, the province is among the first four in daily productions and in second place in efficiency, according to the production director, Juan Carlos Ortiz García.
“To date, we are complying efficiently. This is influenced by the stability in the entry of feed and good management. The punctuality and technological discipline of the workers of the Ramón Téllez, José Mastrapa, and Viet Nam Heroico farms stand out.”
Of these units, the leading one is the "Ramón Téllez," which maintains an efficiency of over 70 percent. In the opinion of Odalmis Hernández Torres, head of the labor collective, the review, control, and organization have been decisive, in addition to the commitment of the workers.
“We united with a single objective, which is to take care of the hens and make them produce despite their advanced age. The most important thing is the management, that they have the water they need and that the environment is clean. It also helps that the workers are linked to the final result and receive a good salary”.
The company's director, José Luis Bauzá Domínguez, remains optimistic and believes it is possible to produce the 29 million 160 thousand 300 postures planned for the current calendar, thanks to cooperation with various entities and better feed coverage.
“Now the country has other feed inputs, but it will still not be possible to reach the egg production of previous years. In Las Tunas, poultry farming has practically reached zero, although variants were sought and we kept the animals alive.
“In the territory of Las Tunas, we have about 150,000 hens and about 45,000 quails. With them, we intend to advance in the plan. However, the country plans to incubate the light breeder chicken to increase the layers and, consequently, the postures.
“The hatchery at the Ceba 2 plant also started operating, from where semi-rustic broilers are going to be delivered to producers in all municipalities and other provinces. Our calculations indicate that there could be around 20,000 chicks per month”.
The Las Tunas Poultry Company has other challenges to achieving the aspiration of the workers and the population that the egg returns to the table of the people of Tuna. Among them are improving biosecurity, dealing with crime, and applying alternatives to alleviate the deterioration of technology.
