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Visitamos familias en las 15 provincias de Cuba para conocer sus formas de vida en torno a su alimentación y realizamos un registro fotográfico para evidenciar la realidad en la isla. Electrodomésticos Blender Gutiérrez Family (Havana) -4250 CUP Coffee maker Gutiérrez Family (Havana) -4250CUP closed refrigerator Gutiérrez Family (Havana) -4250 CUP Open refrigerator. Gutiérrez Family (Havana) -4250 CUP burner Gutiérrez Family (Havana) -4250 CUP Microwave Martinez Family (Havana) +9660 CUP Blender Martinez Family (Havana) +9660 CUP Closed refrigerator.jpg Martinez Family (Havana) +9660 CUP open refrigerator.jpg Martinez Family (Havana) +9660 CUP Microwave.jpg Martinez Family (Havana) +9660 CUP stove.jpg Martinez Family (Havana) +9660 CUP oven.jpg Martinez Family (Havana) +9660 CUP Blender Toledo Family (Santa Clara) 4250-9660 CUP Coffee maker Toledo Family (Santa Clara) 4250-9660 CUP burner Toledo Family (Santa Clara) 4250-9660 CUP open refrigerator Toledo Family (Santa Clara) 4250-9660 CUP closed refrigerator Toledo Family (Santa Clara) 4250-9660 CUP Blender Sánchez family (Havana) 4250-9660 CUP Coffee maker Sánchez family (Havana) 4250-9660 CUP Stove Sánchez family (Havana) 4250-9660 CUP open refrigerator Sánchez family (Havana) 4250-9660 CUP closed refrigerator Sánchez family (Havana) 4250-9660 CUP blenders Perez Family (Cienfuegos) +9660 CUP Coffee maker Perez Family (Cienfuegos) +9660 CUP gas grill Perez Family (Cienfuegos) +9660 CUP

WHOSE FAULT IS IT? For: claudia gonzalez December 21, 2021 00:00 / 04:21 AND AND n the first week of December, the Cuban minister of economy, Alejandro Gil Fernández, admitted having evidence that several state stores, marketers of food products and other necessities, they sold in dollars without authorization. At the meeting of the Council of Ministers, this practice was condemned, as well as the inflated circulation of currency on the black market, among other exchanges on the illegal market. Unlike the black market, the gray market calls what the Cuban government condemns as "diversion of goods", that is, the purchase and sale of merchandise outside the channels authorized by the supplier, these merchandise being legal. On the island, from small private businesses dedicated to gastronomy to the administration of cooperatives and other state entities are subject to this type of exchange. More than with “enrichment” and “corruption”, these practices seem to be related to “struggle”, subsistence and resistance against insufficient salaries and fiscal obstacles. When it comes to getting a job, a common question is, and what is resolved there? For many state workers, the assets and access of their companies are a way to supplement their insufficient wages. The social perception of this practice implies two things. First, with a gray market as scarce as Cuba's, access to food products often includes food of poor quality, poor quality, even past its expiration date. In the networks you can find these days homemade recipes for reuse of expired powdered milk that users have purchased in some establishments. Others wonder what the real ingredients are in a tomato sauce or a guava bar bought in state-run farmers' markets, and which are more like carrot soup or beet quince. Second, the discontent of the population is used by the official discourse to redirect social demands to the closest piece in the distribution chain, to the weakest link: the “reseller”, the “hoarder”, the “dealer”. As the crisis progresses, the official press exposes caricatures that ridicule or demonize agricultural producers and vendors, as the only culprits of the inflation in the prices of vegetables and meat. It would be necessary to consider what the pertinent chain of interpellation really is, is the shopkeeper who adds a profit margin more responsible than the one who limits the products for sale to a market in the currency in which wages are not paid, and to which few have access through remittances? Is the neighbor who "hoards" with the purchase of 5 bottles of cooking oil more responsible than the one who does not guarantee a September 5, January 17. 2020. proper importation and distribution, which then imposes up to 120% customs duty on the product? Is the corner vendor who raises the price of pork more responsible than the one who does not import supplies for the animal's fattening, and then sells his imported meat on online markets? Informal relations in Cuba, although not positive for its inhabitants, start from filling gaps created and perpetuated by the country's economic administration, which is not exempt from inequities in its governance system, corruption and patronage. An important step would be not to naturalize these inequalities, and not let them be instrumentalized in the weakest. Read all the columns of Claudia González in Food Monitor Program HERE

Las calles de La Habana son el reflejo de lo que ha sido la política revolucionaria por más de sesenta años... A paperless event to “celebrate” For: Serge Angel January 11, 2022 00:00 / 05:19 (Mincin) on December 18, it was announced that, as a result of the delays in the importation of the raw material for the preparation of the supply books for the year 2022, the available lines of the month of January and February of the notebooks of the year 2021. And although the announcement is for the population of the western and central provinces, it is eloquent in the face of what the year 2022 will be in terms of supply; something paradoxical if one takes into account that next March 12 marks the 60th anniversary of the enactment of Law 1015 of 1962, which gave rise to the creation of the "Supply Control Book" . It is difficult to speak of a celebration when in reality what is commemorated is not the supply of the population, but its control, that is, the exact moment in which, through a provision of the Council of Ministers, the National Board for the Distribution of of Food and this, making use of its powers, established the first food regulation measures for Cubans, sentencing what would be the following years of rationing. Under the euphemism of "year of planning" (year 1962) -and the fact is that the regime lives on euphemisms that are in no way compatible with reality- the National Board for the distribution of food announced at its first meeting on March 13 of 1962, what would be the rationed products and what would be the procedure for the acquisition of these through the passbook. What began as a measure to "improve the distribution of supplies" ended up becoming a state policy that through food controls the population in the most intimate. The regime got into each of the homes and abruptly came to control what each family could eat and the products with which they could clean themselves. In the blink of an eye, the board's provisions established measures for the entire country, for 26 cities and for Greater Havana (see image 1. Distribution of rationed items). It was not a minor justified decision in the shortage of those who could buy compared to those who were marginalized, it was a deliberate measure to register each person residing on the island through a person who would act as "head of the family" and who would register all the members of the family nucleus so that the paterfamilias "Revolutionary State" could "guarantee supply." In reality, there was no profit, what there was was a tremendous loss, not only had the freedom to buy been lost -of those who could and those who couldn't-, but also lost the freedom of not being controlled by an ideological apparatus such as the Committee for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR). Surveillance body that from that moment acquired teeth and increased its ability to watch the neighbors, both those committed to the Revolution, as well as those "confused" or counterrevolutionaries (see image 2. How to obtain the notebook). The lack of paper for the preparation of notebooks is nothing more than a metaphor for the control to which the people are subjected. Without many alternatives, families will have to write down in the months of January and February 2021 what they will consume at the beginning of the year, hoping that The Mincin keeps its word and on January 30 delivers the 2022 notebooks so that everything returns to the "abnormality" in which it has lived since 1962. AND AND n a note published by the Ministry of Domestic Trade Read all of Sergio Angel's columns on the Food Monitor Program HERE

Hay hambre en Cuba, ciertamente. Si no, que se lo pregunten a una madre de familia que tiene que comprar un MLC a más de 170 pesos cubanos para poder adquirir una gelatina... The abundance of scarcity For: German Quintero January 04, 2022 precariousness for the Cuban population. For December 31 of last year, the government distributed rum and cigarettes to the entire population, assuming that rum and cigarettes would alleviate the situation of discontent. The government did not take into account that an important part of the population, not only children and pregnant mothers, does not consume rum or cigarettes, either because they are not part of their consumption habits, or simply because the products are of poor quality. . These state courtesies, obtained in the warehouse through the Booklet, were resold at more than five times the value established by the regime. Last week, independent media denounced the fines imposed on citizens who wanted to resell products that they did not consume in order to complement a fragile basic basket, lacking eggs and milk, but full of cigarettes and poor quality rum. The year 2021 will be remembered as one of the most difficult for Cuban citizens in terms of consumption, after the Special Period. Tourism income and remittances were strongly affected by the tightening of some of the embargo measures, of the health measures to mitigate the pandemic and, above all, by the spectacular failure of the regime's administrative management, which since the implementation of the Ordering Task at the beginning of that year, where in addition to not promoting domestic production, unifying the Cuban peso with the CUC, promoting the MLC and ignoring the situation of the international market, it was unable to meet the import quota and implemented sufficient measures to maintain or increase internal production. Cuba's economic crisis and the scarcity of goods is largely due to this implementation, which also had the misfortune of coinciding with the rise in international prices of consumer goods and a spiral of prices that shot up and moved away out of reach many foods that were obtained in foreign currency. For the sample, a button: the levels of fishing -affirmed government officials- would not return to those of three decades ago . The fishing laws of 1996 and the most recent of 2020 still do not have the necessary tools to be able to bring fish to the tables of Cubans. How is it possible that on an island, which has not only the sea but also important river sources, it is not easy to procure fish? How is it explained that there is an overexploitation of fishing resources on the island, but there is a shortage of this food? According to official sources, the annual per capita consumption of fish was 16 kg; today it barely reaches 3.8 kg. In short, following official data, each person in Cuba eats about 300 grams of fish per month. This year's forecast is no better than 2021: Going into 2022, essential foods continue to be in short supply and the prices of inputs such as beef, pork, rice, milk, butter and beans are rising. The concern among the population is widespread: some people seek solutions through the rituals of "feeding the land" of the Santeros, while others prepare social mobilizations that echo the cries of "we are hungry" and "freedom" of the 11J demonstrations. Added to this is the massive migration of many of the political dissidents who have been forced to leave the country due to the pressures to which the political regime has subjected them. The panorama of economic crisis in Cuba and the consequent food crisis will be one of the greatest challenges to be faced for this year. The 13% drop in the Gross Domestic Product during 2020 and 2021, as well as the reduction in tourism issues, will be important burdens that will make a dent in the food supply. For now, ordinary Cubans will continue to have to trade rum and cigarettes for basic necessities. AND AND he year 2021 has ended with a situation of extreme Read all of German Quintero's columns on the Food Monitor Program HERE

Mientras algunas zonas logran estar medianamente abastecidas, hay otras que solo se abastecen una vez por mes. A causa de este fenómeno da lugar al crecimiento desmedido de la especulación, se multiplican los precios de los productos que escasean hasta 10 veces... The abundance of scarcity For: German Quintero January 04, 2022 precariousness for the Cuban population. For December 31 of last year, the government distributed rum and cigarettes to the entire population, assuming that rum and cigarettes would alleviate the situation of discontent. The government did not take into account that an important part of the population, not only children and pregnant mothers, does not consume rum or cigarettes, either because they are not part of their consumption habits, or simply because the products are of poor quality. . These state courtesies, obtained in the warehouse through the Booklet, were resold at more than five times the value established by the regime. Last week, independent media denounced the fines imposed on citizens who wanted to resell products that they did not consume in order to complement a fragile basic basket, lacking eggs and milk, but full of cigarettes and poor quality rum. The year 2021 will be remembered as one of the most difficult for Cuban citizens in terms of consumption, after the Special Period. Tourism income and remittances were strongly affected by the tightening of some of the embargo measures, of the health measures to mitigate the pandemic and, above all, by the spectacular failure of the regime's administrative management, which since the implementation of the Ordering Task at the beginning of that year, where in addition to not promoting domestic production, unifying the Cuban peso with the CUC, promoting the MLC and ignoring the situation of the international market, it was unable to meet the import quota and implemented sufficient measures to maintain or increase internal production. Cuba's economic crisis and the scarcity of goods is largely due to this implementation, which also had the misfortune of coinciding with the rise in international prices of consumer goods and a spiral of prices that shot up and moved away out of reach many foods that were obtained in foreign currency. For the sample, a button: the levels of fishing -affirmed government officials- would not return to those of three decades ago . The fishing laws of 1996 and the most recent of 2020 still do not have the necessary tools to be able to bring fish to the tables of Cubans. How is it possible that on an island, which has not only the sea but also important river sources, it is not easy to procure fish? How is it explained that there is an overexploitation of fishing resources on the island, but there is a shortage of this food? According to official sources, the annual per capita consumption of fish was 16 kg; today it barely reaches 3.8 kg. In short, following official data, each person in Cuba eats about 300 grams of fish per month. This year's forecast is no better than 2021: Going into 2022, essential foods continue to be in short supply and the prices of inputs such as beef, pork, rice, milk, butter and beans are rising. The concern among the population is widespread: some people seek solutions through the rituals of "feeding the land" of the Santeros, while others prepare social mobilizations that echo the cries of "we are hungry" and "freedom" of the 11J demonstrations. Added to this is the massive migration of many of the political dissidents who have been forced to leave the country due to the pressures to which the political regime has subjected them. The panorama of economic crisis in Cuba and the consequent food crisis will be one of the greatest challenges to be faced for this year. The 13% drop in the Gross Domestic Product during 2020 and 2021, as well as the reduction in tourism issues, will be important burdens that will make a dent in the food supply. For now, ordinary Cubans will continue to have to trade rum and cigarettes for basic necessities. AND AND he year 2021 has ended with a situation of extreme Read all of German Quintero's columns on the Food Monitor Program HERE

Nota de PRENSA Nota de prensa N° 2- Food Monitor Program Nota de prensa – Richmeat Cierra su fábrica de picadillo en la región de Mariel 25 de marzo de 2023 English Version Versión en español Interviews La Zona Especial de Desarrollo Mariel, en Cuba, ha estado en el centro de la atención debido a las dificultades que enfrentan varias empresas extranjeras que invirtieron en la zona, según lo informan Diario de Cuba, Cubacute, Directorio Cubano y Periódico Cubano. Según estos informes de fuentes independientes, la empresa mexicana Richmeat de México, S.A. ha suspendido la producción del producto "Picadillo Mixto Condimentado" y “Picadillo de res” en su fábrica en Mariel, debido a que el régimen cubano ha incumplido con los pagos. Esta situación deja a toda la planta de trabajadores en situación de desempleo; el 90% de estos son nacionales cubanos. La incertidumbre surgida a raíz del cese de producción de estos dos alimentos no solo afecta a los trabajadores, sino a las familias cubanas que ahora no contarán con una producción estimada en 7000 toneladas de productos embutidos, según informa Periódico Cubano . Estos embutidos, conocidos como “tubos de picadillo” eran, por su versatilidad y precio “la salvación” de muchas familias cubanas, que compensaban las deficiencias alimentarias por medio de su consumo, informa Directorio Cubano . Este es un ejemplo más de la falta de transparencia y confiabilidad del régimen cubano, lo que ha llevado a varios inversores a perder sus emprendimientos, agravando la delicada situación de seguridad alimentaria en la región del Mariel. Las autoridades cubanas aún no han emitido una declaración oficial sobre la suspensión de la producción de Richmeat S.A. y la situación financiera de la empresa. La comunidad internacional sigue de cerca la situación en la Zona Especial de Desarrollo Mariel. Esta situación afecta negativamente la disponibilidad de alimentos producidos en la zona y con los que se abastecen los hogares cubanos; también genera inseguridad para los trabajadores actualmente “interruptos” sin seguridad de empleo. Food Monitor Program denuncia la tendencia al impago del gobierno cubano, el desinterés gubernamental que agrava la situación de desabastecimiento y cuyos principales afectados son los cubanos que ven profundizada su dependencia a productos cada vez más escasos. La inflación y la escasez que aqueja el país continúan ampliándose mientras los cubanos tienen cada vez menos acceso a alimentos ya siquiera nutritivos, sino percederos, que puedan saciar el hambre o camuflar la grave inseguridad alimentaria presente en la isla.

, la producción alimentaria en Cuba continuaba siendo ineficiente para cubrir el grueso de la población, y que si bien en la última década The abundance of scarcity For: German Quintero January 04, 2022 precariousness for the Cuban population. For December 31 of last year, the government distributed rum and cigarettes to the entire population, assuming that rum and cigarettes would alleviate the situation of discontent. The government did not take into account that an important part of the population, not only children and pregnant mothers, does not consume rum or cigarettes, either because they are not part of their consumption habits, or simply because the products are of poor quality. . These state courtesies, obtained in the warehouse through the Booklet, were resold at more than five times the value established by the regime. Last week, independent media denounced the fines imposed on citizens who wanted to resell products that they did not consume in order to complement a fragile basic basket, lacking eggs and milk, but full of cigarettes and poor quality rum. The year 2021 will be remembered as one of the most difficult for Cuban citizens in terms of consumption, after the Special Period. Tourism income and remittances were strongly affected by the tightening of some of the embargo measures, of the health measures to mitigate the pandemic and, above all, by the spectacular failure of the regime's administrative management, which since the implementation of the Ordering Task at the beginning of that year, where in addition to not promoting domestic production, unifying the Cuban peso with the CUC, promoting the MLC and ignoring the situation of the international market, it was unable to meet the import quota and implemented sufficient measures to maintain or increase internal production. Cuba's economic crisis and the scarcity of goods is largely due to this implementation, which also had the misfortune of coinciding with the rise in international prices of consumer goods and a spiral of prices that shot up and moved away out of reach many foods that were obtained in foreign currency. For the sample, a button: the levels of fishing -affirmed government officials- would not return to those of three decades ago . The fishing laws of 1996 and the most recent of 2020 still do not have the necessary tools to be able to bring fish to the tables of Cubans. How is it possible that on an island, which has not only the sea but also important river sources, it is not easy to procure fish? How is it explained that there is an overexploitation of fishing resources on the island, but there is a shortage of this food? According to official sources, the annual per capita consumption of fish was 16 kg; today it barely reaches 3.8 kg. In short, following official data, each person in Cuba eats about 300 grams of fish per month. This year's forecast is no better than 2021: Going into 2022, essential foods continue to be in short supply and the prices of inputs such as beef, pork, rice, milk, butter and beans are rising. The concern among the population is widespread: some people seek solutions through the rituals of "feeding the land" of the Santeros, while others prepare social mobilizations that echo the cries of "we are hungry" and "freedom" of the 11J demonstrations. Added to this is the massive migration of many of the political dissidents who have been forced to leave the country due to the pressures to which the political regime has subjected them. The panorama of economic crisis in Cuba and the consequent food crisis will be one of the greatest challenges to be faced for this year. The 13% drop in the Gross Domestic Product during 2020 and 2021, as well as the reduction in tourism issues, will be important burdens that will make a dent in the food supply. For now, ordinary Cubans will continue to have to trade rum and cigarettes for basic necessities. AND AND he year 2021 has ended with a situation of extreme 1/1 The article only came to make "official" a reality that  was already evident at the popular level, months ago self-employed workers have had difficulty accessing the purchase of wheat flour, for what bread and other derivatives  have become luxury products.  One of the main issues aired in street debates is the difficulty of mothers to provide their children  at least two loaves a day, one at breakfast  and another at snack time, an equation that is complicated for those who have more than one child at school age.  These  families, who usually supplemented the scarce supply of standardized bread, with what they could purchase through the network of state or private bakeries, have been limited  by the price increase. Today a bag of eight or ten loaves oscillates  between 180 and 350 cups without the supply remaining stable. Although the price in state bakeries is lower, the stability of the product is subject to scheduled power cuts and the supply of flour. In addition, the lines to buy this product   can reach up to five hours, an unthinkable time for people who have to comply with work hours. Teresa is an 80-year-old retiree, lives alone and ensures that her diet basically consists of bread and milk, two products that are currently difficult to access. Until recently, he bought bread at the bakery near his home, but  according to him, the queues have become  unbearable and some end up with the intervention of the police due to to violent fights. On some occasions, he waited for the resellers and bought the same bread for a slightly higher price, still affordable to his checkbook, however, with the shortages of the last few days and the inspectors' stalking, the price has skyrocketed and now he barely survives with the bread from the cellar. 1/1 One loaf a day was the minimum food that low-income people on the island could aspire to. It was also the rationality to which each member of the family nucleus “had the right”, which is popularly “played by the winery”. Since the monetary rearrangement policy, regulated bread ceased to be a product subsidized by the State and its price increased ten times, without this implying an improvement in quality. This condition has placed a wide range of population in greater vulnerability, increasingly deprived of economic resources. According to figures  revealed in the 2021 Statistical Yearbook, published  by the National Statistics Office  the number of beneficiaries and information (ONEI) of social assistance shot up in 2021 by 111% [two] , which means that more Cubans have joined the list of extreme poverty and completely depend on the State to survive.  This can be verified  when walking the streets of Havana , where the number of people begging in the doorways or "diving" in the garbage tanks in search of food and other necessary supplies is increasing. 1/1 The repeated power cuts that occur throughout the country show other damage caused by this energy crisis. Some time ago, the quality of the food that arrives at state outlets, smaller than normal, acidic or simply  absent, has further diminished. Although the issue is not new, the fuel crisis also affects the transfer to the points of sale, an action that is often carried out without the minimum hygienic-sanitary conditions, so the bread is transferred and stored in dirty spaces, exposed to insects. and humidity.    Contrasted with all this is the existence of a functional market that gains more space in the lives of those with relatives abroad. In online mode and offering a wide range of products that are scarce in the rest of the freely convertible currency (MLC) stores or in the almost extinct stores in Cuban pesos (CUP), there are hypermarkets such asSupermarket23 eitherMallHavana , where they offer a way to acquire quality bread, in the variety that the customer wants and without quantity limitations. Accessing these products on a regular basis is unthinkable for ordinary Cubans, however some self-employed workers, owners of paladares, restaurants or rental houses report that on occasions they have been forced to access this market in search of bread. as the only alternative to scarcity and to avoid having to close their businesses permanently. 1/1 Read all of German Quintero's columns on the Food Monitor Program HERE

Hay hambre en Cuba, ciertamente. Si no, que se lo pregunten a una madre de familia que tiene que comprar un MLC a más de 170 pesos cubanos para poder adquirir una gelatina... The abundance of scarcity For: German Quintero January 04, 2022 precariousness for the Cuban population. For December 31 of last year, the government distributed rum and cigarettes to the entire population, assuming that rum and cigarettes would alleviate the situation of discontent. The government did not take into account that an important part of the population, not only children and pregnant mothers, does not consume rum or cigarettes, either because they are not part of their consumption habits, or simply because the products are of poor quality. . These state courtesies, obtained in the warehouse through the Booklet, were resold at more than five times the value established by the regime. Last week, independent media denounced the fines imposed on citizens who wanted to resell products that they did not consume in order to complement a fragile basic basket, lacking eggs and milk, but full of cigarettes and poor quality rum. The year 2021 will be remembered as one of the most difficult for Cuban citizens in terms of consumption, after the Special Period. Tourism income and remittances were strongly affected by the tightening of some of the embargo measures, of the health measures to mitigate the pandemic and, above all, by the spectacular failure of the regime's administrative management, which since the implementation of the Ordering Task at the beginning of that year, where in addition to not promoting domestic production, unifying the Cuban peso with the CUC, promoting the MLC and ignoring the situation of the international market, it was unable to meet the import quota and implemented sufficient measures to maintain or increase internal production. Cuba's economic crisis and the scarcity of goods is largely due to this implementation, which also had the misfortune of coinciding with the rise in international prices of consumer goods and a spiral of prices that shot up and moved away out of reach many foods that were obtained in foreign currency. For the sample, a button: the levels of fishing -affirmed government officials- would not return to those of three decades ago . The fishing laws of 1996 and the most recent of 2020 still do not have the necessary tools to be able to bring fish to the tables of Cubans. How is it possible that on an island, which has not only the sea but also important river sources, it is not easy to procure fish? How is it explained that there is an overexploitation of fishing resources on the island, but there is a shortage of this food? According to official sources, the annual per capita consumption of fish was 16 kg; today it barely reaches 3.8 kg. In short, following official data, each person in Cuba eats about 300 grams of fish per month. This year's forecast is no better than 2021: Going into 2022, essential foods continue to be in short supply and the prices of inputs such as beef, pork, rice, milk, butter and beans are rising. The concern among the population is widespread: some people seek solutions through the rituals of "feeding the land" of the Santeros, while others prepare social mobilizations that echo the cries of "we are hungry" and "freedom" of the 11J demonstrations. Added to this is the massive migration of many of the political dissidents who have been forced to leave the country due to the pressures to which the political regime has subjected them. The panorama of economic crisis in Cuba and the consequent food crisis will be one of the greatest challenges to be faced for this year. The 13% drop in the Gross Domestic Product during 2020 and 2021, as well as the reduction in tourism issues, will be important burdens that will make a dent in the food supply. For now, ordinary Cubans will continue to have to trade rum and cigarettes for basic necessities. AND AND he year 2021 has ended with a situation of extreme Read all of German Quintero's columns on the Food Monitor Program HERE

Elecciones en CUBA El 27 de noviembre del 2022 se realizaron en Cuba elecciones para las asambleas municipales del Poder Popular. Cuba está inmersa actualmente en una crisis multisectorial profunda, donde sobresale la inseguridad energética y alimentaria, además de un éxodo masivo. Sin embargo, en los días previos a las elecciones se realizaron ferias gastronómicas y se abastecieron los comedores estatales subsidiados para generar un estado de opinión temporal favorable. Aún así, el rechazo y la apatía ciudadana se reflejaron en la alta cifra de abstención (31,5%), la mayor en la historia electoral del país. Leer más Leer más Leer más Leer más Leer más Leer más Leer más Leer más Entrevistas

The abundance of scarcity For: German Quintero January 04, 2022 00:00 / 04:19 precariousness for the Cuban population. For December 31 of last year, the government distributed rum and cigarettes to the entire population, assuming that rum and cigarettes would alleviate the situation of discontent. The government did not take into account that an important part of the population, not only children and pregnant mothers, does not consume rum or cigarettes, either because they are not part of their consumption habits, or simply because the products are of poor quality. . These state courtesies, obtained in the warehouse through the Booklet, were resold at more than five times the value established by the regime. Last week, independent media denounced the fines imposed on citizens who wanted to resell products that they did not consume in order to complement a fragile basic basket, lacking eggs and milk, but full of cigarettes and poor quality rum. The year 2021 will be remembered as one of the most difficult for Cuban citizens in terms of consumption, after the Special Period. Tourism income and remittances were strongly affected by the tightening of some of the embargo measures, of the health measures to mitigate the pandemic and, above all, by the spectacular failure of the regime's administrative management, which since the implementation of the Ordering Task at the beginning of that year, where in addition to not promoting domestic production, unifying the Cuban peso with the CUC, promoting the MLC and ignoring the situation of the international market, it was unable to meet the import quota and implemented sufficient measures to maintain or increase internal production. Cuba's economic crisis and the scarcity of goods is largely due to this implementation, which also had the misfortune of coinciding with the rise in international prices of consumer goods and a spiral of prices that shot up and moved away out of reach many foods that were obtained in foreign currency. For the sample, a button: the levels of fishing -affirmed government officials- would not return to those of three decades ago . The fishing laws of 1996 and the most recent of 2020 still do not have the necessary tools to be able to bring fish to the tables of Cubans. How is it possible that on an island, which has not only the sea but also important river sources, it is not easy to procure fish? How is it explained that there is an overexploitation of fishing resources on the island, but there is a shortage of this food? According to official sources, the annual per capita consumption of fish was 16 kg; today it barely reaches 3.8 kg. In short, following official data, each person in Cuba eats about 300 grams of fish per month. This year's forecast is no better than 2021: Going into 2022, essential foods continue to be in short supply and the prices of inputs such as beef, pork, rice, milk, butter and beans are rising. The concern among the population is widespread: some people seek solutions through the rituals of "feeding the land" of the Santeros, while others prepare social mobilizations that echo the cries of "we are hungry" and "freedom" of the 11J demonstrations. Added to this is the massive migration of many of the political dissidents who have been forced to leave the country due to the pressures to which the political regime has subjected them. The panorama of economic crisis in Cuba and the consequent food crisis will be one of the greatest challenges to be faced for this year. The 13% drop in the Gross Domestic Product during 2020 and 2021, as well as the reduction in tourism issues, will be important burdens that will make a dent in the food supply. For now, ordinary Cubans will continue to have to trade rum and cigarettes for basic necessities. AND AND he year 2021 has ended with a situation of extreme Taken fromThe touch. https://eltoque.com/tasas-de-cambio-de-moneda-en-cuba-hoy The devaluation of the Cuban peso against the dollar and the euro has increased the value of the MLC by 112% since it began its circulation, in 2021. Likewise, the prices of the goods acquired through the MLC compared to their price in dollars, suffer from volatile inflation that makes them unattainable. The value of the pig the Dow Jones index in Cuba , is an excellent indicator of price inflation: a whole 45kg pig can fetch as much as USD440. Both the shortage and the rise in prices in MLC negatively affect access to food in Cuban pesos. This situation reinforces the barter and search systems through social networks, and the need to queue in the markets and in the warehouses to obtain goods that provide some kind of substitute for those food and cleaning goods that are out of the reach of the majority of citizens. It remains to be seen if, in this scenario, added to the scarcity of coffee due to a problem with the shipping companies , the happy Rectification manages to give a break to the disorders that the Ordering Task has generated and that leave precious goods out of the reach of the majority of the Cuban population. Read all of German Quintero's columns on the Food Monitor Program HERE

supply book Noviembre, 2021 In 1962, the Supply Book was created by decree in Cuba and, since then, few Cubans imagine the food performance of their household without this document. So, it presented a basic food basket as part of the central and planned economy. Although, initially, it had a direct monetary and product subsidy from the Soviet Union, after the dissolution of the latter, the contents of the passbook were drastically reduced. Over the years, the notebook continued to lose prominence in its essential supplies, for example, in 2009 it again suffered a cut in grains, salt and tubers, and a year later the quota of cigarettes was definitively eliminated, which went to a regulated free sale. Currently there are around 3,809,000 family units registered in the booklet system, grouping more than 11 million Cubans. The products of the notebook are variable according to geographical area and may be subject to administrative, production and transportation errors of their products, as well as the actual availability and import capacity of the country. Despite this, during the last two years the notebook has been not only a management document for the delivery of regulated food, but also for the regulation of donations and other controlled, but not subsidized, products within the emergency policies by the COVID-19. As the economic crisis has worsened, Cuban households have once again become more dependent on this document, showing an increase in its registration, as an instrument of surveillance and social regulation, as well as the normalization of food insecurity. The Food Monitor Program conducted semi-structured interviews to obtain information on the food experiences of Cuban citizens around the supply book, their purchasing power, dependence on subsidies, perception of well-being and food security, bartering and survival dynamics, among others. EVERYTHING IS SO EXPENSIVE THAT THE SUBSIDY IS A RELIEF Leandro Fernandez* "If there are elderly people or children, it is impossible to survive without the notebook since most of the month you have to buy products on the street"... Read more... HERE IS EVERYTHING Diana Sanchez* "I consider that the family diet cannot survive without the notebook, at least, even if it is that little bit, a few days helps"... Read more... I DON'T MAKE LUNCH AND DINNER LIKE I BEFORE Glory Morales* "The products of the notebook are missing because there is nowhere to get rice, sugar, or coffee, oil is scarce". Read more... WE GET EVERYTHING FROM THE BLACK BAG Richard Gonzalez* "The State does not have or deliver any released product, all the acquisition is in the black bag, which thus makes life more expensive"... Read more... I HAVE SOLD THINGS FROM THE HOUSE TO EAT Read more... "For everything you have to show the notebook because, in addition to not being able to buy in any store"... Mireya Lopez* I CAN'T REACH Yaima Reyes* "I've only had access to a combo once from abroad, for a donation through a friend"... Read more...

Los productos necesarios para una alimentación vegana o vegetariana no son consistentes en el comercio nacional ni parece existir una intención o voluntad gubernamental para suplir esta demanda... From “material stimulus” to “food blackmail” For: claudia gonzalez January 18, 2022 D D ince the 1960s there has been discussion in Cuba about the relevance of labor stimulation. Initially, it was committed to the validity within Marxism, of accounting autonomy, self-financing and the system of material incentives. A staunch critic of this trend was Ernesto Guevara, who strongly discouraged the use of methods that he considered inherited from the past. Instead, Guevara promoted moral encouragement, the mere satisfaction of duty fulfilled before the construction of Socialism. The ethical value of the stimulus was circumscribed in the rigorous and trench atmosphere, which called for exemplary production, for the sake of "decisive effort". After the failure of the Ten Million Zafra, however, the Soviet system was adopted, which already used binding calculations between workers' remuneration and the quantity and quality of their work . First it was the delivery of Soviet-made household appliances (TVs, fans, irons), then Chinese (like bicycles in the 1990s). From the trade with the ALBA governments and, above all, from the export of medical, technical and sports services, the labor stimulus consisted of a percent of what the workplace earned in foreign currency. These incentives were not granted to all positions, but depended on the capacities of each ministry. In this way, they had more presence in those self-funded centers that generated profits (from the production or export of products and services), as well as in "strategic" centers linked to the upper echelons of the Communist Party of Cuba and the Government. In recent years, however, we have seen the gradual disappearance of material products, for others of food, consisting of chicken boxes, sausages, eggs or cooking oil, among other basic consumer products. Food is nowadays the most common stimuli to reward the work of the state worker, especially among medical, technical, sports personnel, etc. For example, Cuban athletes who received decorations at the Pan American qualifying event, held in Guadalajara, Mexico in 2021, were received in Cuba by representatives of the local government, with food combos that included cakes, cooking oil, sausages and vegetables. . If the stimuli are actions to promote the potential of the individual, food deliveries in Cuba have been the slow transition towards the impoverishment of this social mechanism, to the point of being almost a government survival device. The food has happened like this, to try to fit a salary system that does not fulfill the role that it responds to; Due to the real value of its content, it would be, perhaps, closer to the conception of the Guevarian moral stimulus. So, if the stimuli are intended to raise the worker's self-esteem, it is unfortunate that basic consumer products are proposed as such, and are even desired by their recipients. At a time of chronic shortages, the partial state delivery of food also creates an important social differentiation for citizens who are prevented from this access. The government is aware of the existing food insecurity, and part of this to control and condition militancy in key sectors "stimulating" with products that should be common, daily to all its citizens. 1 two  This information is based on a field study carried out in Cuba in the months of March, April and May, still in process. Soon the Food Monitor Program will publish the results and testimonials on its website www.foodmonitorprogram.org. 1  The names of the interviewees have been changed in accordance with our data protection policy. two Read all the columns of Claudia González in Food Monitor Program HERE