A sign with the phrase: “Sugar is bought”, called the attention of all the customers who came this Thursday to the Bombonera Kakao chocolate shop located on the privileged 12th street between 23 and 25, in Vedado. The quality of the products of this private business has made that not a few Havanans go to the establishment ready to buy their merchandise, especially on Christmas dates and on Valentine’s Day.
Located in the middle of state businesses that sell foreign currency, Kakao exhibits a varied range of products derived from chocolate and despite the fact that it has its main raw material, another of the most used ingredients in its elaborations, sugar, is scarce to the point that they have forced the owners to put the sign on the door.
The island’s shortage of supplies not only hits Cubans with fewer resources, but also causes havoc in the self-employed sector, where many have found it necessary to resort to dissimilar supply methods – most of them illegal – in order to manage the raw material necessary for your business.
It is a curious thing for many of those who approach the crystals, to find the unusual sales order. In the absence of a stable supply that the State must guarantee to the self-employed in the wholesale stores, the same clients who access their business end up being the potential suppliers.
“We will be open all the end of the year, even the 31st, it all depends on whether we get the happy sugar”
Iván, a young man who came to the establishment in search of the exquisite chocolates and chocolate figures offered there, was impressed when the clerk explained: “We don’t have any sugar left and we haven’t been able to get it. Fortunately, yes. We have chocolate, although if you realize it we have been forced to raise prices a little because every day everything is more expensive. “
After choosing some of the smaller chocolates, Iván promised to return to buy one of the sales for Christmas. “They are a little out of my pocket, but at home we will treat ourselves to the end of the year with one of those chocolates,” he said to the seller while pointing to a figure of Santa Claus and another of a Christmas tree, with a price 1,300 and 1,000 pesos, respectively.
“We will be open all year-end, even the 31st, it all depends on whether we get the happy sugar,” was the merchant’s reply.
Anabel is another of Kakao’s regulars. “Whenever I can I go and treat myself, and on February 14 I am a fixed point there,” he tells 14ymedio. A friend who was browsing the dollar stores in search of soda to accompany the Christmas dinner, saw the sign in the chocolate shop and called her to tell her.
“If you want chocolates, run here because these people have run out of sugar and they will close at any time,” the friend told her, to which Anabel replied: “I put my boots on, I’m going to bring them 10 pounds of white sugar that I had saved for emergencies and I’m going to exchange them for an expensive chocolate “.
National sugar production is going from bad to worse. According to official figures, last year the country was only able to dispose of 416,000 tons of the product for national consumption, since it is committed to China the annual sale of 400,000 tons. The Island consumes annually between 600,000 and 700,000 tons.
Last July, the state sugar group Azcuba advertisement that the 2020-2021 harvest was “one of the worst in the history of Cuba”, fulfilling only 66% of the planned plan of 1.2 million tons.
________________________
Collaborate with our work:
The team of 14ymedio He is committed to doing serious journalism that reflects the reality of deep Cuba. Thank you for joining us on this long road. We invite you to continue supporting us, but this time becoming a member of our journal. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.
