Amid growing concern over the shortage of basic goods, the government of Santiago de Cuba began distributing milk for children aged two to six on Saturday, guaranteeing only enough product for the next seven days.
The Santiago de Cuba Dairy Products Company announced on Facebook that distribution will take place "as swiftly as possible," although it explained that delays may occur due to the "sequential entry of the containers."
The brief statement issued by the dairy company did not specify what will happen to children under one year old, leaving many online users with unanswered questions.
The statement also did not clarify what will happen after the seven days of milk coverage, leaving families, who are already suffering from the ongoing scarcity of food and basic products, uncertain about how they will manage once these limited rations run out.
In the comments section, the Dairy Products Company of Santiago de Cuba attempted to justify the situation by referring to the lack of foreign currency, arguing that, without income from tourism, the country faces serious challenges in acquiring milk from abroad.
According to the entity, each container costs approximately 80 thousand dollars, which exacerbates the supply crisis.
However, this argument has been met with skepticism from internet users, as it highlights the critical dependence of the Cuban economy on a sector that has declined in recent years, leaving families unanswered as they wonder how the nutrition of their children will be ensured amidst this chronic scarcity.
According to data from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), Cuba currently produces less fresh milk than it did during the "special period" of the 1990s.
That crisis became evident when a shocking video posted on social media showed several elderly people collecting powdered milk from a street in Santiago de Cuba.
Crouched down, they collected the powdered milk spilled on the ground with their hands and placed it into plastic bags, according to a brief video shared in a Facebook reel by reporter Yosmany Mayeta.
Recently, a health situation also highlighted the crisis affecting the dairy industry when an outbreak of food poisoning raised significant concerns in the municipality of Corralillo, Villa Clara. This occurred after 16 people, including several minors, displayed symptoms of dehydration, diarrhea, and vomiting after consuming nationally produced condensed milk.
The product in question was distributed by the local agricultural company and originated from the Dairy Company of Sagua, as explained last Thursday on his social media by Dr. Juan José Pulido López, the Director General of Health in Villa Clara.
Last Saturday, those affected "are in their homes in good health," stated an official source from the Ministry of Health in that province.
“It has been over 72 hours since new cases have been reported. We reiterate that we have not had any severe patients or fatalities,” stated Dr. Juan José Pulido López, General Director of Health in Villa Clara, on Facebook.
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