The land grants are proceeding

Buried at the end of this article in Granma is a report that idle state lands have been granted to 45,518 farmers; that’s about half the number that has applied. Reuters explains and provides context here.

These land grants are one aspect of a policy to revive Cuban agriculture and reduce food imports. Giving more land to private producers, long the most productive in Cuba, is a no-brainer. Prices paid to producers have been increased sharply, especially for beef and dairy. Decentralization of decisionmaking and other changes are promised. If the entire program is carried through, there’s no doubt it will make a difference, and it will beg the question of when other sectors will have similar policies applied to them.

More discussion of the agriculture policies is here.