In 2021, fats and oils of vegetable origin ranked first in imports to Cuba from Ukraine. It is not its main supplier, but the Island is preparing to suffer the consequences of the war, also in terms of food. This Thursday, the deputy prime minister and head of Economy and Planning, Alexander Gil Fernandezwarned of the price hike that is coming and that the government plans to fight with “socialist solutions.”
Gil Fernández indicated that the markets are already reeling with the price of fuel, which affects all types of transport, in particular ship chartering. Oil, wheat and soy flour, said the minister, have skyrocketed prices, a situation that is pushing up inflation in all the countries of the world, but in Cuba it threatens to be a catastrophe since, although it is not The official mentioned, the Ordering Task has already generated its own inflationary effect on the Island, where prices have risen up to 70%.
Governments around the world are preparing contingency plans to try to contain the effects of shortages and inflation that are coming, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which warned this Friday that ” Supply chain and logistics disruptions in grain and oilseed production in Ukraine and the Russian Federation, as well as restrictions on Russian exports, will have significant repercussions for food security” around the world.
All these measures are indistinguishable from those announced in previous crises, such as the pandemic, without achieving anything
But Gil Fernández, for the moment, has not explained what ideas the Cuban government has to contain the situation, beyond its declared intention to focus “on socialist, administrative and fair solutions” that go through protecting the vulnerable population, controlling prices and subsidize the population and not the companies, he said. All these measures are indistinguishable from those announced in previous crises, such as the pandemic, without anything having been achieved.
The deputy prime minister also took the opportunity to recall that in 2021 there were 500 entities with losses, although he clarified that many of these problems were due to the fact that the prices of their goods or services were below those of the raw materials or supplies necessary to produce them. and not because of inefficiency. However, he insisted, the Government is not in a position to maintain loss-making companies, even less so if their workforces are inflated or they distribute profits.
Although Gil assured in his speech this Thursday that the complicated international scenario must be “faced without regret”, Meisi Bolaños took the floor to talk about the national budget, clarifying that adjustments are made due to “the contraction of income” as a result of the pandemic “and the intensified North American blockade”, which led to the disbursement of 17,000 million pesos for expenses.
To the problems that already came with the reduction in tourism that the foreseeable drop in travelers from Russia will entail, now joins the food situation.
The news is terrible for Cuban families. For months vegetable oil has been scarce on the island where the culinary culture includes many foods that are fried, sautéed or with abundant use of fats
The news is terrible for Cuban families. For months, vegetable oil has been scarce on the Island, where the culinary culture includes many foods that are fried, sautéed or with abundant use of fats. As the culinary options have been reduced, croquettes and other dishes that help stretch the little animal protein that is obtained have gained prominence in kitchens.
Cookies, breads, pizzas and pastas are also an important reinforcement for the day to day. In many Cuban houses there is a tradition inherited from their Spanish ancestors of accompanying lunch or dinner with a piece of bread. The product is also essential to guarantee the snack that children take to school and is practically the main offer of private cafeterias.
Bread with cheese, ham, mayonnaise or – for the poorest – with a spoonful of sugar, is sometimes the only meal for long hours. The home delivery menu and many palates Private companies also base part of their offers on products made from wheat flour. A decrease in its presence will severely affect the entire gastronomic business sector.
It could even hurt the sensitive distribution of bread on the rationed market, a frequent target of complaints about the deterioration of its quality and the arbitrary reduction in its size, which should reach 80 grams per day per person, but rarely does. The attempt to replace part of the wheat flour with cassava or sweet potato flour has not been well received by consumers, who reject the result as hard and tasteless.
________________________
Collaborate with our work:
The team of 14ymedio 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.
