Cuban government denies announcement about new measures to "correct distortions"

The Cuban government denied on Monday an announcement about new measures to "correct distortions" that has been circulating on various social media platforms.

The Ministry of Domestic Trade (Mincin) published on X that the news being spread regarding supposed adjustments to the regulated basic basket in relation to new measures to correct distortions in the Cuban economy is false.

In its statement, the Mincin recalled that the situation of the basket was recently explained in the official media. Additionally, it urged the population to stay informed through the official channels of the organization.

The truth is that the shortages of products that the regime regulates for its population will continue during the month of September, where Cubans will stop receiving coffee and oil, there are shortages in the distribution of sugar, and the allocated pounds of the remaining items are not completed for another consecutive month, while the authorities continue to call for "creative resistance."

According to Betsy Díaz Velázquez, the Minister of Domestic Trade, explained to official media, in Cuba “we do not have any plans for September, just as there was none in August, for oil or coffee.”

Although the shortages in rice will not be replenished, the directive stated that, now, in 12 provinces the seven pounds of rice from the regulated family basket for August will be completed.

The most affected will be the residents of Santiago de Cuba, whose consumers will receive six pounds of rice, in Granma with four or five, and Guantánamo, which must complete the seven per capita, said a report from the state-owned Cuban News Agency.

Another affected product is sugar, as the government still cannot resolve the shortage, one of the most in-demand, especially at the beginning of the school year and for students' snacks. According to reports, alternatives are being sought, such as the importation of some volumes.

Apparently, what Cuban residents on the island will definitely have this ninth month of the year is salt and peas, although there are variations regarding the first one depending on the area of the country where the consumer resides.

"There is a ship with two thousand 800 tons in the port of Havana, which will allow us to catch up with the western provinces, while for the center and east of the country it will be done with boxes and containers starting from the salt extraction in eastern Cuba," specified the minister.

For their part, they are expecting the arrival of a shipment of peas, a product that was secured during June, July, and August, as a ship was unloaded in Santiago de Cuba and, previously, another quantity of peas in Cienfuegos, and efforts are being made for its transportation, he noted.

Despite the insufficient national food production, the lack of foreign currency for export, and a fuel crisis affecting transportation, the Cuban regime stated last July that it would maintain the regulated family basket, although it acknowledged the lack of resources.

"Almost all the products in the basic goods basket need to be imported, and this is the priority when allocating foreign currency for investment," stated Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz during a session of the Services Attention Commission, ahead of the third ordinary session of the tenth legislature.

It is worth remembering that at the beginning of July, the residents of Holguín received the rice that the government owed them from June. A similar situation occurred throughout the eastern part of the island.