The official press recognized on Tuesday the serious shortage of “basic grains” and oil available in the island’s rationed market. In an attempt to smooth the situation, which is not a surprise to Cubans, cubadebate it states that there are “delivery delays” and blames “import delays”.
For its part, the Ministry of Domestic Trade warns of delays in the deliveries of pounds of rice for almost half of the Cuban territory, mainly in the provinces of Matanzas, Ciego de Ávila, Las Tunas, Holguín, Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo.
The companies linked to this ministry began the distribution of 2,090 tons of the grain of the 36,000 planned for family consumption, with a deficit of 33,910 tons for March. The Government reported that the family basket regulated for next month will include a free pound of rice from a donation, of which the origin was omitted.
Oil has not arrived on time for Cuban families since January as a result of the “late arrival” of imports. In Pinar del Río, Ciego de Ávila and Holguín, the quota corresponding to the first month of the year has not yet been delivered, while the Government acknowledges that those for February are out of date and hopes to catch up this week with batches of local production.
The first results of the 2022-2023 harvest suggest that production will again be on the ground and far from the goal of receiving 455,198 tons
On the other hand, the sugar delivery It will depend on the availability in the country, recalled the official newspaper. The first results of the 2022-2023 harvest suggest that production will again be on the ground and far from the goal of receiving 455,198 tons.
The Government affirms that the beans and peas are “available”, but acknowledges that there are delays in deliveries for eleven territories of the quota corresponding to March.
The powdered milk that is distributed for minors, as well as the liquid milk that is delivered to children over one year of age in the collection centers from Matanzas to Las Tunas are insured, the institution affirms. The delivery of chicken from the nationally regulated basket has also begun, he added, while the national industry tries to catch up with the deliveries of compote and coffee.
The families of Santiago de Cuba will once again receive a module of donated food, in addition to those of Guantánamo and Holguín.
As if that were not enough, the Island has faced a shortage of salt in recent days, mainly attributed to railway problems that have made distribution difficult, explained last week the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy.
“Our warehouses are full of salt, but it does not reach the population due to transportation problems,” he asserted, while announcing that the Armed Forces will take charge of moving 300 tons on a ship to Havana.
Contrary to the official discourse, which ensures that Cuba advances in its food sovereignty, the Government itself recognizes the dependence on imports to satisfy the minimum dietary requirements of the population. This makes the country much more vulnerable to swings in the world market and the availability of its supply trading partners, as well as their ability to pay for those purchases.
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