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Los topes de la devaluación en la historia de Cuba, alcanzados en los años 90, rondaban el valor de 150 pesos por un dólar; mientras en 2022 la devaluación superó la cifra hasta llegar a 200 pesos en este cambio. 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. 1/2 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. 1/2 Según análisis de la Oficina Nacional de Estadísticas e Información (ONEI), el poder adquisitivo de los hogares cubanos pudo haberse reducido en sus tres cuartas parte desde mayo de 2021. La sola publicación por un organismo gubernamental de los informes de precios y estadísticas sobre su crecimiento aluden a un cinismo sin igual por parte del gobierno. [1] Aceptar estas cifras advierte su conocimiento de la inaccesibilidad de los alimentos para la mayor parte de la población cubana. El impacto de esta recesión adquisitiva que afecta directamente a la familia cubana es basado mayormente sobre los precios de los alimentos y bebidas no alcohólicas, que en diciembre de 2022 estaban un 76.59 % más caros que hace un año. Productos como la carne de cerdo (46%) y los frijoles colorados (16%) experimentaron un aumento exponencial de sus precios, describiendo una escalada cada vez más desentonada con las escalas salariales impuestas por el gobierno cubano. 1/2 Según la plataforma informativa El Toque y en función de los datos aportado por la ONEI una canasta básica conformada por la aportación de la libreta de abastecimiento y un apoyo que permita “estirar” los alimentos hasta fin de mes, podría costar de 8 mil a 11 mil pesos por persona. Estas cifras que duplican el salario medio se reducen a cubrir una alimentación mínima adecuada y no contempla servicios como la electricidad, el agua o el gas licuado, parte fundamental de la tarifa de la alimentación. En lo que va de 2023, los precios de los alimentos siguen subiendo poco a poco y no asoma ninguna intención gubernamental referente a reformas salariales. El valor de las divisas en el mercado informal se mantiene fluctuando sobre los 165 pesos y las ofertas de alimentos en pesos cubanos escasean cada vez más. Mientras tanto, el mercado negro aumenta sus precios y mantiene sus ofertas, mostrándose más abastecido en cantidad y variedad que el mercado estatal. [1] Anuario estadístico Cuba 2021, en: http://www.onei.gob.cu/node/18501 Read all of German Quintero's columns on the Food Monitor Program HERE

In my case, I am always prepared to stand in line, because there is what there is, but it is not enough for everyone. I'm always prepared to stand in line Francisco Verano, fifty-four years old, lives with his wife and nephew in Havana, is a self-employed worker (without a license), part of his family resides in Miami. Approximately how much do you spend in a month to guarantee your family's diet? How much of your income does it represent? They would represent 90% of my income, which is not stable, perhaps 15,000 pesos, which is far from guaranteeing the diet, because I also share it with my father, who does not live at home, so I would say 90%. How do you access food and in what percentage? (grocery markets, organic farms and fairs, black market, shipment of combos from abroad, purchase in MLC stores, labor incentives, others) Sometimes I receive combos by sending, they are varied and resolve, although of questionable quality. Very expensive, yes, they do not go below 160 dollars and they are not enough for the month. I constantly visit the state and private agro-markets, those are expensive, but they solve a lot. I visit private individuals more than the state ones, the latter are quite short of supplies, all with prices above the minimum wage, which is about 2,000 Cuban pesos a month. The black market before COVID-19 was the main way to acquire everything, now it is avoided to the point of hunger and need because it is extremely expensive. It has become the last option for many, I search the black market every month for 20%. I visit the stores in MLC a couple of times a month with anguish, they are very expensive and they are out of stock of the essentials. Still, you find them crowded, it's misleading because the basics are scarce, but you find Chinese sauce, mashed tomato, mayonnaise, snack paste. They make you believe that you have a choice, but you don't. In the end you sacrifice yourself to minimize yourself with what there is and not with and not with what you want, that's where half of my expenses go because you buy minced beef, some cans of pressed meat, all of that with prices that are extremely expensive, I say they are punishing prices. Finally, I do not receive work incentives because I am, as I told you, a self-employed worker. The black market before COVID-19 was the main way to acquire everything, now it is avoided to the point of hunger and need because it is extremely expensive Due to the shortage during COVID, there are some stores that were formerly establishments in CUC, which today have become in national currency (MN), there the State assigns you some essential products that could be used if they were not restricted, I'm talking about chicken, sausages and normado mincemeat. They give it in a very controlled way using the supply book and in insufficient quantities. Now you can visit those stores to purchase them once a month. They started weekly, they continued fortnightly and now it is once a month, the sacrifice to access the products due to the queues is sub-real, but with the purchases in those stores the majority subsists, in my case it is 15% of my expenses . How many hours do you spend searching for and buying these foods? The search and purchase of food is the main task of any Cuban, from those who have the least to those who have the most. In my case, I am always prepared to stand in line, because there is what there is, but it is not enough for everyone. Almost every day I do something related to the search for food, I am not always successful, when I go to the stores in national currency it is almost all day, just like those in freely convertible currency (MLC). In the agro-markets you invest less time, but you still spend a couple of hours in them. Do you use social networks to find out about supplies and prices in your area, for example, via Facebook or Telegram or WhatsApp groups? No, I do not use networks for this purpose. If you had to divide your diet, how would you describe your intake of animal protein, vegetable protein, carbohydrates? For example, how many times a week do you eat fish, red meat, white meat, dairy products, eggs, vegetables? Almost always chicken from regulated stores, you stretch it and it's like a rubber band, you eat it almost every day. I eat so little fish that I can almost say never. Red meat almost the same, last month I bought two tubes of ground beef, very good quality, in MLC, very expensive, two meals for three people per tube. That is the beef I have eaten in the last two or three months. I have access to eggs because 10 per person come to the cellar monthly. About milk, milk is not sold here, only medical diets, which have already been removed until further notice, and pregnant women and children under seven years of age have a milk allowance. I drink milk when I can buy it outside and it is very, very expensive. The vegetables, you find them in the particular agritos [small private agro-market stalls] and they are priceless. Onion, garlic and tomato are only available to big pockets. Perhaps what I buy the most is cucumber, avocado… there are no other types of vegetables. Do you consider that your family has enough intake of healthy food for its normal development? No, not at all, we are eating what we can, when we can, carbohydrates and sugar are what keep us going. Do you consider that in your family there are diseases related to the lack of nutrients or an unhealthy diet? We are a very strong race, even bread with rubble nourishes us, so if we are sick with a shortage of nutrients, which is almost total, we don't even notice it. Do you consider that, when shopping, you must decide between one basic food or another? Do you think you are buying food at a fair price? The problem is not that you decide between one and the other, the problem is that you buy the one that exists. I have never been in that dilemma because there is no variety. It depends on what is meant by justice, I would say that food is far above purchasing power, that could be said to be unfair Have your food preferences changed in the last two years? How? I love to eat, it's the greatest of pleasures from my point of view, a pork escalope, a kidney, roast pork and chicken in sauce with potatoes, tuna, a good steak, mixed salads, that I must not have forgotten to make… the ice cream, the malt soda, the sweets. But I am a man who has adapted since I was a child, I remember when I was on scholarship that I made a drink with water and some candies inside the container. Now I am not telling you not to drink an imported beer, a Kermato [non-alcoholic drink based on tomato juice, clams and spices], a carbonated soft drink, not to eat a delicious barbecue one day, but it is sacrificed [he pronounces it high and lengthening the syllables]. I love sugar water, which sucks, but it helps to stave off hunger sometimes. Sometimes I eat chicken mince, which I don't like, sometimes I eat a little more bread, which isn't bad for sustaining, which I don't like, but I have no other choice. What commodities do you find only or most often through the black market? The black market has always played a fundamental role when it comes to domestic sustenance, supplying the private sector. It even supplies to the left of the state sector [refers to illegal businesses within the state sector, gray markets]. I think that the State is aware, it knows that the system is inefficient and only with the proper functioning of that black market is it possible to place what is needed in each place, say in a home, say in a store, say in a state establishment. The black market has always played a fundamental role when it comes to domestic sustenance, supplying the private sector. It even supplies up to the left of the state sector I think there is a great shortage in general. There are several factors that conspire: the pandemic, the embargo, and most importantly, the poor performance of the Cuban State, the bad state policies. I have had cafeterias, for example, and at all times they functioned thanks to that parallel and capitalist market, which is the underground market; if it were not for him, this order of things as we know them would not exist, this government is supported by several pillars and one of them is the black market. Now the black market is weakened, but the little beef, milk, yogurt or flour that is obtained is through this route; businesses including mine continue to be nourished from there. In the end, I do not consider that I fall into an immoral crime for supplying myself from the black market, because not everything legal is fair, nor is everything illegal immoral. Read all interviews on Food Monitor Program HERE

Uno de los propósitos de esta es ley es regular la organización de los sistemas alimentarios locales reforzando con ello el control del Estado en la forma de distribución y abastecimiento de los alimentos... The crisis does not distinguish species For: Nastassja Rojas January 25, 2022 It is a titanic task, considering that the needs and suffering are innumerable. And we are not only talking about crises sustained over time, such as those that occur in contexts with depressed economies such as the misnamed "Special Period in times of war" in Cuba in the 1990s, but also health crises with economic and social impacts such as the COVID-19 in the year 2020 in almost every country in the world. But crises are not experienced the same in all countries and even more so if one takes into account that the pandemic arrived in contexts where structural difficulties were already being experienced, in such a way that a "crisis within the crisis" was experienced. A fact that led to truly dramatic situations for the population of countries like Cuba, which, forced by circumstances, had to ration food, even more than what they had been rationing for years, but what about other species? especially in a context of isolation in which they become emotional support and main company. And it is that in contexts where the scarcity of products is common, human beings are not the only ones who suffer the ravages of the lack of food and medicines, but other sentient beings also live this situation in a really dramatic way. If the animals in the midst of crises ate the leftovers from the house; what are they going to eat when there are no leftovers and when food is limited even for humans. Certainly, their place goes into the background and therefore their food and health situation is even more critical. Even so, in the midst of the difficulties in which Cuba lives, there are many who assume these other species as members of the family, and therefore seek to feed them at the expense of their own well-being. But when the situation reaches extremes, some find it necessary to let them go out to look for their food or to abandon them to reduce the mouths of the house, which exposes them to being collected by the State and that in accordance with the provisions for "control of street populations" can be sacrificed. In addition to this, several cases have been documented about the sacrifice of animals or their use for rituals, so this outing, in addition to being critical, is dramatic. This is how animal supporters in Cuba have understood it, who have faced the inaction of the regime and the recalcitrant positions of an anachronistic party, which privileges the interests of the political class and fails to identify true progressivism in the defense of the rights of animals and equality of species. The surreptitious approval of the Animal Welfare Decree-Law published by the Council of State on April 10, 2021 is not enough, if one takes into account that the advances continue to maintain the businesses of the party bosses and justice is selective with those who do not agree with the regime. Although fines are established there "for animal welfare violations", animal activists have stated that State security has poisoned their animals as an inhuman action of reprimand and no person has received any type of sanction, in addition, the Law itself is insufficient because it excludes the rites associated with the cultural heritage of Cuba from what is punishable within violence against animals. In this sense, a context of crisis in which the Law is selective and fails to authentically guarantee the rights of all species, their lack of protection is total and their vulnerability grows with the needs of the population. It is difficult to blame or point a finger at a family for not feeding their animals, while children or older adults must also suffer from serious limitations and often have to skip meals to be able to eat. Here the responsibility lies with an indolent regimen that puts a choice between the members of a family, regardless of species, who should be fed. P P prioritize problems and the population in the midst of crises Ley de soberanía Food Monitor Program 00:00 / 05:03 Read all the columns of Nastassja Rojas in Food Monitor Program HERE

, 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

Food prices in national currency have increased by more than 3 times their value, for most products Quality of life has gone down Yunior Rodríguez, forty-one years old, independent, lives in Havana with her partner and her mother-in-law. Approximately how much do you spend in a month to guarantee your family's diet? How much of your income does it represent? Expenditure for food only, in a month, between 10 and 12 thousand pesos. How much of your income does it represent? It represents between 65 to 85% of income. Family income, due to the salary increase, has doubled or more. However, food prices in national currency have increased by more than 3 times their value, for most products. As a result the quality of life has decreased. The shortage is causing price increases for some products on the black market that rise weekly. How do you access food and in what percentage? (grocery markets, organic farms and fairs, black market, shipment of combos from abroad, purchase in MLC stores, labor incentives, others). I get 60% from the black market, then 10% from the warehouse, and 30% from the agricultural market of supply and demand. How many hours do you spend searching for and buying these foods? Between the three of us we dedicate about 15 hours a week to the search for food. And this is complex, especially because of the currency. In the foreign exchange market, if before the exchange rate was 1 dollar to 25 Cuban pesos, plus or minus, now the exchange rate is 1 dollar to 75 Cuban pesos plus or minus, and it remains unstable. Then the increase in price is also greater than the purchasing power. Do you use social networks to find out about supplies and prices in your area, for example, via Facebook or Telegram or WhatsApp groups? I do not use social networks for this purpose. Do you consider that your family has enough intake of healthy food for its normal development? No. We feed ourselves with a disproportion between high amounts of sugars and carbohydrates, and low amounts of vitamins and minerals. During the week we do not consume red meat or fish, dairy products, eggs and vegetables more frequently. We feed ourselves with a disproportion between high amounts of sugars and carbohydrates, and low amounts of vitamins and minerals. Who do you think is today guaranteeing the right to food in Cuba, the State or the family? that the family Have your food preferences changed in the last two years? No. Availability has changed. What are the essential products or that you most often get on the black market? To what extent do you consider that you depend on the black market? How do you access it? On the black market I secure chicken, mincemeat, milk and bread. I find out and get listening out there, by word of mouth. In the black market, inflation far exceeds salary increases. The centralized economy is in crisis, it does not have enough supply to combat inflation by increasing supply volumes. The little offer that it offers at prices lower than those of the black market, is stopped here immediately and goes up for resale in black. Result, it is almost impossible to buy in a store in Cuban pesos, the offer is few, and the queue is massively controlled by resellers. If you add other people, (the most vulnerable, with less purchasing power, without relatives abroad, without private businesses, etc.), who as a result of necessity wake up or sleep in queues, it becomes practically impossible to buy or enter to a local currency store. Result, it is almost impossible to buy in a store in Cuban pesos, the offer is few, and the queue is massively controlled by resellers. Read all interviews on Food Monitor Program HERE

Encuentra entrevistas semi-estructuras sobre las experiencias alimentarias de los ciudadanos cubanos. Para más información: contacto@cuido60.com · Facebook · Twitter · Instagram. Interviews Let's talk about Food Safety A related issue is that if policy concern macro economics  y commercial is for the poor, so a policy that focuses on corn, for example, does not address the central issue. By: Eugenio Diaz Bonilla Let's talk about Food Safety A related issue is that if policy concern macro economics  y commercial is for the poor, so a policy that focuses on corn, for example, does not address the central issue. By: Eugenio Diaz Bonilla Food insecurity as domination  FAO officials, very close to the Cuban government, have declared that Cuba is an example in the area of food security and this is due to a subsidized ration book that does not cover the needs of the citizens. By: Marlene Azor The myth of food security in Cuba For Cuba, the FAO was more of an instrument of propaganda and influence abroad, while technical interventions, or in the worst case, advice on sectoral policies, was not well seen. By: Theodor Friedrich

La seguridad alimentaria ha sido siempre uno de los objetivos más importantes en Cuba desde la revolución. A partir del año 2008 se convirtió en el objetivo más importante del gobierno... "We never leave anything without taking it out, everything is taken out here, everything is taken out, everything is taken out, nothing is left in the cellar here" HERE IS EVERYTHING Diana Sánchez is 35 years old, lives with her husband and two minors of age in San Miguel del Padrón Who in your family usually does the shopping at the grocery store? Well, my husband does the shopping in my store, he's the one who goes every month to run errands. Do you buy other “controlled”, “regulated” or “regulated” products? for this system? Through this supply book system, we buy products from the warehouse and once a month in the local currency store, which used to be in CUC, now in national currency, we buy chicken, detergent and oil; that's the same for the notebook there once a month. What products from the supply book do you consume most frequently? Do you leave any without removing in the month? From the basic food basket, what we consume the most is rice and beans, and we never leave anything untaken, everything is taken out here, everything is taken out, everything is taken out, nothing is left in the cellar here. Nothing is going to be returned to the State here, in short, that does not return to the State, but hey, you and I know how things are, here nothing is left anywhere, everything for your house. How much of your formal income does the monthly purchase of the products in the notebook represent? Do you consider that your ability to acquire them has been affected since the monetary reform? This monthly purchase of products from the supply book represents 6% of our income. And, I do consider that my purchasing power has been affected since the monetary reform, before with less than 100 pesos we used to buy 3 people's errands here, now we need more than 400 pesos. How many days of the month would you say that the basic products of the notebook are enough for the family? We could say that these products last approximately 12 days, that is, they are enough for me for 12 days, an average more or less 12, 15. In my case, the rice lasts for me at the end of the month, because we do not consume that much rice, or be the children eat little rice. Here the one who eats the most is Jose and he doesn't have lunch here, since he works he has lunch at his job. But hey, the beans last a week, the coffee more or less 15 days, because I don't strain in the afternoon, I just do it in the morning, it lasts a little longer for me, there are those who last less. The chicken is 2 to 3 meals, if you distribute it in portions, here the chicken is divided into portions, and well, you distribute it and well, more or less you get 2 to 3 meals. The picadillo per child is enough for 1 meal, the oil for 10 to 12 days because that doesn't last any longer, and it lasts for me from 10 to 12 days, because I don't get cold that much, because Jose doesn't eat fried foods, because we take care of ourselves, because I try not to eat excess fat, anyway, but there are those who don't get it after 12 days, at least it gets to me, but there are those who don't. Does any member of your family receive a special diet? Read all interviews on Food Monitor Program HERE

"They gave a module whose origin I do not know, that was immediately after the July 11 demonstrations." Everything is so expensive that the subsidy is a relief Leandro Fernández is 39 years old, lives with his partner, his father Who in your family usually does the shopping at the grocery store? We have hired someone who does the courier service for us. He is a self-employed neighbor who provides this service. Do you buy other “controlled”, “regulated” or “regulated” products by this system? We received a donation module that they delivered. Outside of that, we look for everything in MLC stores or in buy-sell groups on social networks. What products from the supply book do you consume most frequently? Do you leave any without removing in the month? The products that we consume the most are rice, eggs, oil. I don't normally take out the soy mincemeat and the like. How much of your formal income does the monthly purchase of the products in the notebook represent? Do you consider that your ability to acquire them has been affected since the monetary reform? My income is irregular because it depends on the management I do, I am self-employed. Even so, I am not affected by the cost of regulated products, but the majority of the country is affected a lot, especially pensioners, elderly people. Even so, I am not affected by the cost of regulated products, but the majority of the country is affected a lot, especially pensioners, elderly people. How many days of the month would you say that the basic products of the notebook are enough for the family? I would say between a week and 10 days approximately. Do you exchange, buy, resell or give away any of the products assigned to you? Usually not. Do you think that the family diet could survive without the notebook? If they delivered more released products, do you think you could pay for them with your income and that it would be a positive change or would you prefer more subsidies? It depends on the people who make up the nucleus. If there are elderly people or children it is impossible to survive without the passbook since most of the month you have to buy products on the street and they are so expensive that buying them subsidized is a relief, example: toilet paper cost 20 CUP, now in the market black costs from 120 to 150 CUP. If there are elderly people or children, it is impossible to survive without the book, since most of the month you have to buy the products on the street and they are so expensive that buying them subsidized is a relief Do you consider that the products assigned by the supply book condition the way you prepare food? In my case, I don't think it conditions the cooking of the food I eat. Have you received any donation or external product at subsidized prices during the Covid19 period for the passbook? Can you describe it, as well as its origin? They gave a module whose origin I do not know, that was immediately after the July 11 demonstrations. The content varied from region to region. We receive rice, lentils, pasta, oil. Some people were given milk, others wheat flour, or chicken. Read all interviews on Food Monitor Program HERE

Visitamos familias en las 15 provincias de Cuba para conocer sus formas de vida en torno a la alimentación y recogimos fotos para comparar las experiencias con la comida con el fin de evidenciar que el hambre no se ha erradicado y hay profundas desigualdades en el acceso a la alimentación. LA ACERA DE ENFRENTE Recorrido fotográfico por la segración alimentaria en Cuba 2024 2025 2022 2023

Por ejemplo, se vende en vez de carne de res, una masa cárnica que nadie sabe qué elementos la constituyen, ni aparecen los componentes ni los nutrientes desglosados... "We never leave anything without taking it out, everything is taken out here, everything is taken out, everything is taken out, nothing is left in the cellar here" HERE IS EVERYTHING Eugenio Diaz Bonilla Who in your family usually does the shopping at the grocery store? Well, my husband does the shopping in my store, he's the one who goes every month to run errands. Do you buy other “controlled”, “regulated” or “regulated” products? for this system? Through this supply book system, we buy products from the warehouse and once a month in the local currency store, which used to be in CUC, now in national currency, we buy chicken, detergent and oil; that's the same for the notebook there once a month. What products from the supply book do you consume most frequently? Do you leave any without removing in the month? From the basic food basket, what we consume the most is rice and beans, and we never leave anything untaken, everything is taken out here, everything is taken out, everything is taken out, nothing is left in the cellar here. Nothing is going to be returned to the State here, in short, that does not return to the State, but hey, you and I know how things are, here nothing is left anywhere, everything for your house. How much of your formal income does the monthly purchase of the products in the notebook represent? Do you consider that your ability to acquire them has been affected since the monetary reform? This monthly purchase of products from the supply book represents 6% of our income. And, I do consider that my purchasing power has been affected since the monetary reform, before with less than 100 pesos we used to buy 3 people's errands here, now we need more than 400 pesos. How many days of the month would you say that the basic products of the notebook are enough for the family? We could say that these products last approximately 12 days, that is, they are enough for me for 12 days, an average more or less 12, 15. In my case, the rice lasts for me at the end of the month, because we do not consume that much rice, or be the children eat little rice. Here the one who eats the most is Jose and he doesn't have lunch here, since he works he has lunch at his job. But hey, the beans last a week, the coffee more or less 15 days, because I don't strain in the afternoon, I just do it in the morning, it lasts a little longer for me, there are those who last less. The chicken is 2 to 3 meals, if you distribute it in portions, here the chicken is divided into portions, and well, you distribute it and well, more or less you get 2 to 3 meals. The picadillo per child is enough for 1 meal, the oil for 10 to 12 days because that doesn't last any longer, and it lasts for me from 10 to 12 days, because I don't get cold that much, because Jose doesn't eat fried foods, because we take care of ourselves, because I try not to eat excess fat, anyway, but there are those who don't get it after 12 days, at least it gets to me, but there are those who don't. Does any member of your family receive a special diet? Read all interviews on Food Monitor Program HERE

Manténgase informado con los últimos artículos académicos publicados por Food Monitor Program ARTÍCULOS A C A D É M I C O S Ver más> Impact of the Multifactorial Crisis on Food Security, Care, and Quality of Life of Older People in Cuba Por: Claudia Gonzále z - Elaine Acosto En: Oxford Academy