A Cuban resident in the United States has shared her rather unpleasant surprise after purchasing a food combo for Cuba, which included pork produced in the country where she now lives.
The internet user Yaiset Rodríguez Fernández stated that she paid 20 euros, approximately 22.33 US dollars, for five pounds of pork from Indiana Chicken, the brand of Indiana Packers Corporation, a food company that sources from family farms in the American Midwest.
In her post, the Cuban woman points out that the product, purchased from one of the online stores set up by the regime to collect dollars and profit from the food shortages in Cuba, did not come from a pig raised in Cuba, but was imported from the U.S.
"It would make sense for people in Havana to eat the pork that is raised in Havana, or at least as far away as Artemisa. Not from Indiana. Because from there, specifically from the city of Delphi, came the last pork roast I bought for my family in Havana," he said.
His message criticizes that, to be sold at that price in Cuba, those pounds of pork were purchased in bulk in Indiana and shipped to Havana in huge quantities, even though the regime insists on justifying the crisis with the U.S. embargo.
"What is clear to you and me is that the people in Havana do not buy or eat the pork raised by local farmers because there are two blockades in Cuba: the one imposed by the very system that misgoverns it, and the mental blockade of all those who continue to believe in fairy tales about pigs," he concluded.
In various online stores, such as Supermarket and Katapulk, chicken, pork, and beef produced in the U.S. is sold.
Meanwhile, the regime justifies the shortages and the collapse of the food industry with the supposed U.S. "blockade," but it does not invest in the industry or seek solutions to the crisis.
The absence of effective policies, the neglect of genetic infrastructure, the lack of real incentives, and the collapse of the pig farming agreements that once supported production have created a food crisis, forcing many families to seek meat in expensive online stores.
The shortage of feed, genetic deterioration, theft in the fields, and a lack of labor are just part of the mix that has devastated the sector.
Today, the pound of pork can exceed 1,000 pesos in many provinces, becoming an unattainable luxury for most.
Between November 2024 and January 2025, several journalistic reports vividly illustrated the extent of the collapse of the pork industry in Cuba, marking a critical phase in the already prolonged national food crisis.
In November last year, a government-backed report from Santiago de Cuba revealed local efforts to revive pig farming, a goal that seemed unattainable amid a shortage of supplies, the deterioration of the productive infrastructure, and the loss of genetic pig stock. Authorities were attempting to revive a key sector without the minimum conditions needed to achieve it.
Frequently asked questions about the pork crisis in Cuba
Why is pork imported from the U.S. instead of being produced locally in Cuba?
The importation of pork from the U.S. is due to the collapse of the pig industry in Cuba, where national production has dropped drastically due to a lack of supplies, the deterioration of productive infrastructure, and ineffective government policies. This has led to pork becoming an unattainable luxury for most Cubans.
What are the main causes of the collapse of the pork industry in Cuba?
The swine crisis in Cuba is mainly due to the lack of supplies such as corn and soy, the shortage of medications, genetic deterioration, and the bureaucracy that producers face. These issues have driven production to historically low levels, severely affecting the availability of pork in the country.
How does the pork crisis affect the diet of Cubans?
Pork, a staple in the Cuban diet, has become an unattainable luxury due to its high price, which exceeds 1,000 pesos per pound. This situation restricts the population's access to an essential source of protein, severely impacting the traditional diet and festivities on the island.
What measures has the Cuban government taken to address the pork crisis?
The Cuban government has proposed measures such as the creation of multipliers and the use of liquid feed, but these initiatives have not been effective due to the lack of funding and the bureaucracy that hinders the delivery of necessary resources to producers in order to reactivate pig production.
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