Miami, United States. – The Cuban economist Pedro Monreal questioned the recent economic measures announced by the island’s government by 2025 and pointed out that they reflect the failure of the instruments previously implemented and the persistence of administrative approaches that do not solve the structural problems of the country.
“The announced measures, far from demonstrating ‘the progress’ in the Cuban government program by 2025, shows the early failure of the economic instruments they prepared and the usual replication to the comfort zone of the administrative mechanisms,” Monreal expressed in the social network X.
One of the most criticized points by El Economista is the decision to impose pricing bumpers on basic products such as rice and national production beans. In his opinion, this measure is not only ineffective, but also reveals a populist vision that does not address the structural deficit of the agricultural sector in Cuba.
“Forcing rice retailers and national production beans not only shows incompetence but also reckless. It is transnochado populism that does not solve the structural deficit of the agricultural offer of Cuba, ”he said.
1/6 The announced measures, far from demonstrating “the progress” in the Cuban government program by 2025, shows the early failure of the economic instruments they prepared and the usual replication to the comfort zone of the administrative mechanisms pic.twitter.com/mlteiswc3z
– Pedro Monreal (@pmmonreal) Februry 20, 2025
Monreal also warned about the coercive application of these regulations by local authorities. “It is worrying that local officials say that if the vendors do not offer at the top price ‘the position will be closed and the relevant measures will be taken.’ Obviously it would not be an increase in the national offer because magic does not work in the economy, ”he criticized.
Likewise, the economist questioned the position of the official media in the coverage of these measures, in particular the acritical treatment of certain consumer proposals. “Even more worrying is that television disseminates, without commenting on any reason or presenting another point of view, the proposal of a consumer that they open the locks’ of the closed stalls,” he said.
The new regulations They are part of a set of actions recently announced by the Prime Minister of the Cuban regime, Manuel Marrero Cruz, in a meeting with governors and mayors. Among them, the update of electrical rates in certain sectors, the regulation of prices in the construction and the implementation of prepaid cards for the purchase of fuel by legal entities are included. The authorities also announced the restructuring of private sector trade and new strategies to attract foreign investments to the Special Mariel Development Zone.
In this sense, Monreal criticized what he considers an economic discourse without real foundations, especially with regard to the promotion of productive chains. “Voluntary hallucination is also manifested in the litany of ‘seeking productive chains’ in the absence of economic calculation, few labor incentives, low investment, distorted prices, and monetary and exchange multiplicity,” he said.
In addition, the economist questioned the so -called “rearrangement of trade”, describing him as discrimination against the private sector. He also questioned the viability of the attraction of foreign investment in the Special Mariel Development Zone. “The announcement also includes other pearls such as calling ‘trade reorganization’ to the discrimination of the private sector, and talking about ‘recovering the attraction of foreign investors’ in Mariel, an effective enclave that has not been successful in rigor,” he concluded.
The measures of the Cuban government are part of an economic plan approved in January by the Council of Ministers, whose declared objective is to correct distortions and reimpulse the country’s economy in the midst of a deep crisis.
Among the main provisions announced by the Cuban government are:
- Centralized Retail Price Regulation for basic products such as rice and national production beans.
- Update of electric rates In certain sectors, as part of a plan to encourage energy saving.
- Modification of the construction price systemwhich will apply to all economic actors in the country.
- Impulse to “productive chains” between state companies and non -state management forms, although without specifying how its effectiveness will be guaranteed.
- Use of prepaid cards by legal persons for the purchase of fuel, with the aim of improving the control of this resource.
- Reorganization of trade in the private sectormeasure that, according to Monreal, translates into discrimination against self -employed workers.
- Attraction of foreign investment in the Special Mariel Development Zonethat the government seeks to relaunch after years of little success in the collection of foreign capital.
- Implementation of a new mechanism for the management, control and allocation of currencies For all economic actors, without details about their operation.
- Redistribution of inejecutions of the salary fund in the budgeted unitsin order to encourage the permanence of the workforce in key state sectors.
