MIAMI, United States. – The Minister of Transportation of Cuba, Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, revealed this Tuesday in a publication on his Facebook wall that the Government’s cargo transportation plan was fulfilled by only 60.5% in the first half of 2024, which represents a notable decrease compared to the same period in 2023.
“At the end of the first half of 2024, 14.9 million tons were transported, out of a plan of 24.6 million, for a 60.5% execution,” said the minister.
The report also indicates that in the same period of the previous year, 18.7 million tons were transported, which implies a decrease of 3 million tons in just one year. “The greatest weight of non-compliance is in the sugar harvest“, Rodriguez Davila admitted.
The official also addressed the limitations that directly affect the country’s transport capacity: “There are known fuel limitations, and the coefficient of technical availability of the means of transport is affected by years of operation, and the lack of spare parts, lubricants, tires and batteries,” he explained, describing a “real battle” every day to maintain operational logistics.
Although the railroad managed to exceed its share of total freight traffic, the use of cabotage, a key component in the distribution of food from the standard family basket (CFN), experienced a decrease of 28% compared to the previous year. Rodríguez Dávila pointed out that “in this first semester, 1.6 million tons were transported by cabotage, which decreased by 28% compared to the same period in 2023.”
The publication also refers to energy efficiency in freight transportation, an aspect that, although it has shown some improvement, is still insufficient to compensate for the general deficiencies of the system. “The overall energy intensity in freight transportation achieved in the country during this period was 35.55 tons of fuel consumed per million tons transported,” said the minister.
Finally, the official hinted that the situation could worsen if more effective measures are not taken. “Many people need and expect basic products, which must be delivered to Cuba and then distributed throughout the country, in generally complex conditions,” he said.
