The arrival of 21,000 tons of Canadian wheat will make it possible to recover bread production, although the joy will not last long, since that amount serves to guarantee just two weeks of the product.
Osmany Rodríguez Long, director of Logistics for the Food Industry, told the Good Morning program on Cuban Television that the arrival of the shipment took place days ago – without specifying exactly – and it began to be processed at the mills in the capital on Sunday. Subsequently, the transfer to other provinces will begin.
According to websites specialized in maritime traffic monitoring, the Irida GSwhich usually transports grain and sails under the Marshall Islands flag, entered the port of Havana on Sunday from Montreal.
The official announced for the next day 11 the arrival in Santiago de Cuba of another ship with 1,200 tons of wheat, a load that arrives later than expected. “He spent 75 days waiting for the cargo to be paid, because the money had to circulate through various banks to circumvent the blockade,” explained Rodríguez, who insisted that the lack of bread is a consequence of US policy, although food products They are exempt from embargo.
“Before, it was not possible to have coverage, due to the persecution to which we are subjected, due to the blockade,” he said. “Cuba has contracted other arrivals of wheat, to take place after June 12,” added journalist Lázaro Manuel Alonso, who summarized the receipt of the latest shipments on his Facebook account and said that, with these shipments, the authorities have that June and July bread be guaranteed.
Industria Alimentaria reported last week that the bread would be produced and marketed with a mixture formula made from 60% wheat flour and 40% semolina
The communicator added: “Despite these arrivals, this Sunday the production of food was affected in several territories, and it will also happen this Monday. With the arrival of flour that is processed in the industries of the capital, the situation should be more favorable since Tuesday”.
According to the Ciego de Ávila newspaper, Invaderthis Sunday 30% of the inhabitants of the province ran out of bread and a similar situation was expected for Monday, said Yadiel Pérez Téllez, a provincial government official.
Several provinces have suffered similar situations not only recently, but since April or May, and different types of flour have had to be used to guarantee supplies.
In the Habana, the company of the Food Industry reported last week that the bread would be produced and marketed with a mixture formula made from 60% wheat flour and 40% semolina.
In other areas, like the municipality of Bartolomé Masóin Granma, have had worse luck and last week they were advertisement that the bread would arrive every two days due to the lack of flour. In addition, in this province it was announced that 15% of the composition would be with corn flour. “This, of course, brings a certain change in the texture of the bread, its color and flavor, it is the option to continue responding to our productive commitments, the authorities stated.
Also in Hundred fires Wheat of poorer quality has recently had to be used to continue producing bread, something that irritated the residents of the province and reached the pages of the official press that lamented the “impudence prevailing in the production of the valued food”. “The bread that is obtained has roughness, roughness, crumbles to the touch, low volume, darkened color, strong smell of humidity and an acid taste caused by the prolonged fermentation time to achieve the dough,” he denounced. September 5.
In Sancti Spíritus, another of the provinces in which the situation reached the official press, attempts have been made to establish alliances with the private sector to improve bread production, but the problem is the same regardless of the management method: the material cousin does not arrive and, when she does, barely hard.
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