Economist calls for imprisonment of those responsible for "food insecurity" in Cuba

The prominent Cuban economist Pedro Monreal criticized the "neoliberal" shift in the Cuban regime's food distribution policy and called for "prison" for those responsible for the increasing "food insecurity" on the island.

Through a thread on X, the expert expressed his outrage over the message conveyed to the public through official media, which attributes the collapse of Cuban agricultural production to "unforeseen circumstances" and normalizes the "inequality" in society.

A declared enemy of "communist centralized planning," Monreal directed his criticisms at the "continuity" government of Miguel Díaz-Canel, whom he accused of promoting an relentless neoliberal formula in the Cuban economy, encouraging the pricing policies adopted by importing companies (Mipymes).

"When the 'forms sought by the country,' governed by centralized communist planning, 'reinforce' pure and harsh neoliberalism: 'whoever can, buy them,'" Monreal said regarding the shortage of eggs and the prices that this product reaches in small and medium-sized enterprises that import them.

With inflation skyrocketing and out of control, the Cuban economist denounced “this blatant official neglect of the basic food security of working families with meager state salaries.”

"He should be imprisoned," concluded Monreal in his thread (later deleted), referring to the responsibility of the leaders of the Cuban regime who have either been unwilling or unable to establish an economic policy that revitalizes agricultural production, increases supply, and impacts prices.

The same authorities, by the way, are responsible for the "economic restructuring" that promised Cubans an improvement following the "monetary unification" and the increase in salaries, which quickly became meaningless in the face of a reality characterized by shortages, inflation, and the inability to establish an official foreign exchange market capable of meeting the existing demand.

“Lost from distribution for months, appearing out of the blue in some places, and priced at astronomical rates in others, eggs are capturing the attention of consumers, subjected to a wide range of conjectures about the current state of their regulated sale,” noted Escambray in its article on the distribution of eggs through the state-subsidized family basket.

According to Aliesky Guevara Molina, the director of the Avícola Company of Sancti Spíritus, as explained to the state media, "egg production in the province of Sancti Spíritus remains at zero due to the animals having gone 12 days without food."

"This has deteriorated productivity levels, and it is now in a recovery process. We estimate that the first productions will begin to be released between November 10 and 15, as the animals are regaining weight," the executive noted.

However, Guevara Molina acknowledged that the instability in animal feed has persisted throughout the year, which means that eggs have become a recurring food item for those Cubans who can afford their market prices, which can reach up to 5,000 Cuban pesos (for a carton of 30 units) in a country where the minimum wage for workers is only 2,100 miserable pesos.