Slow economic activity despite reforms

HAVANA, Cuba, CMC – Cuba said Monday its economy will fall short of the 3.6 percent goal for growth, an indication that President Raúl Castro’s reforms are generating little new economic activity. According to the official Cuban Communist party newspaper, Granma, despite the forecast, Castro was happy about the report on his reforms of the economy. “We continue advancing, and the results can be seen. We are moving at a faster pace than can be imagined by those who criticize our supposed slow pace and ignore the difficulties that we face,” Granma quoted Castro as telling a meeting of the Council of Ministers.