FACTBOX-Reforms by Raul Castro in Cuba

April 8 (Reuters) - In the six weeks since he succeeded his ailing brother Fidel Castro, new Cuban President Raul Castro has introduced a series of reforms to raise food output and end what he called "excessive prohibitions" in communist Cuba.

The following are some of the reforms undertaken so far:

• Decentralized agriculture to allow private farmers more leeway to decide how to use their land, what crops to plant and what supplies to buy. Farmers granted leases to unused land.
• Lifted ban on Cubans buying consumer goods such as computers, DVD players, microwave ovens and other electronic appliances previously prohibited due to energy crisis.
• Cubans can now stay at hotels at beach resorts previously reserved for foreigners only, ending a "tourism apartheid" that was a source of resentment.
• As of April 14, Cubans will be allowed to freely buy and use cellular telephones, a service that only government officials and foreign companies had access to until now.
• Reduced bureaucracy for filling medical prescriptions and began revamping family doctor program in response to public complaints it was understaffed.

For special coverage from Reuters on the changes in Cuba, see: http://www.reuters.com/news/globalcoverage/cuba