Eco-briefs
CUBA: Call to Reactivate Zeolite Mining

HAVANA, Nov 16 (Tierramérica).- Zeolite "would increase fertility of the organic substrata of urban farming, but currently it is not utilized due to difficulties in transporting it from the sites where it is produced," Alfredo Lino, Cuban expert in farm sciences, told Tierramérica.

Cuba has important deposits of zeolite, a non-metallic mineral that is useful in agriculture, construction and medicine. But the economic crisis of the 1990s interrupted mining operations here. Currently, it is mined for export to countries like Brazil and Colombia.

In boom times, its use was promoted for treating soils to grow vegetables and as hydroponic supports, as well as for animal food and health.

Zeolite was the subject of debate among international experts and entrepreneurs gathered Nov. 9-10 in the eastern Cuban city of Holguín.