And where is the milk? Camagüey will end this year with a deficit of more than a million liters

The milk production in the province of Camagüey continues to plummet, and all indications suggest that 2025 will close with a deficit of more than one million liters compared to the annual plan and also in relation to 2024, a year that had already recorded figures well below expectations, confirmed sector authorities.

René Mola Valera, head of the collection department at the Dairy Company, acknowledged that the situation is critical, especially in the northern area of the province, where the drought has deprived pastures of animal feed, directly impacting the productive capacity of the dairy farms.

This is compounded by old problems that are never resolved: the theft and illegal slaughter of large cattle, the insufficient supply of water, and a widespread loss of cattle ranching culture, reported the provincial newspaper Adelante.

But beyond excuses, the numbers speak for themselves: of the 8,023 producers hired to deliver milk, 3,674 are not fulfilling the agreed plans, which amounts to 45.8% of the total.

Even more alarming is that from that group, 1,049 have not delivered a single liter of milk or a pound of cheese, it reported.

The question that hangs in the air is inevitable and was posed bluntly by Mola himself: where does that milk go that does not enter the system?

Neither the State, nor the companies in the sector, nor the responsible agencies provide a clear explanation, while the population struggles with an increasingly severe shortage of dairy products.

While the dairy program is collapsing, the underlying causes continue to be ignored seriously.

The livestock model is eroding, control is weak, and the lack of incentives demotivates producers in a province that was once considered the main dairy basin of Cuba. Today, Camagüey hardly has any milk at all.

Weeks ago, the official newspaper Granma acknowledged that Camagüey experienced a collapse in its annual food production to less than half of the 92 million liters achieved in 2019.

In 2024, only 41.1 million liters of milk were collected. In nine municipalities of the province, children receive barely half a liter daily, or one liter every two days. If the trend does not change, in three years, milk will be available only every three days, even in key areas of the so-called milk basin.

It is noteworthy that the livestock system in the central province is losing thousands of animals due to deaths, illegal slaughter, and mismanagement. In 2024 alone, nearly 58,963 deaths and 7,143 clandestine slaughters were recorded.

“Last year, due to theft, sacrifices, and deaths for other reasons, the loss of cows was equivalent to that of an entire municipality. If this trend continues, in approximately 15 years there will be no livestock in Camagüey, let alone milk,” warned the media outlet.

In a speech during his time as a ruler in 2007, Army General Raúl Castro criticized that Cubans only received milk until the age of seven and asserted that this needed to change.

In 2021, he left the Council of State without changing that unfortunate reality. Eighteen years after his promise, the situation remains the same, and families are raising their children without this and other food items.

Recently, it emerged that the state-owned Río Zaza accumulated millions in debts with producers and caused a crisis that affects the supply of milk to pregnant women, children, and individuals on medical diets in Sancti Spíritus, one of the country's main supplying provinces.

Since late 2023, the dairy industry in Cuba has shown clear signs of structural collapse. Last November, the then Minister of Food Industry acknowledged that the country did not have enough milk to meet the needs of the entire population, and that the goal was to ensure “a portion” for the most vulnerable groups, a groundbreaking admission of the state's limitations in securing a product deemed essential.

A month later, the government announced that it would provide powdered milk only to children aged zero to six, excluding pregnant women and other traditionally benefited groups. This measure caused outrage and highlighted the worsening of shortages.

The crisis was not limited to the shortage of the product itself. In Ciego de Ávila, the lack of powdered milk led to replacing it with a “vitamin-infused beverage” in children's diets.

In early June, news broke about the arrest of five individuals for stealing 197 bags of powdered milk intended for infants from the company En Frigo in Havana del Este.

Meanwhile, on the black market, a kilogram of powdered milk can cost up to 2,000 Cuban pesos (almost a minimum wage). Although the product is available in stores that accept foreign currency (MLC), its price in dollars makes it unaffordable for most Cuban families, who rely on the deteriorating rationing system.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Milk Crisis in Camagüey, Cuba