The renowned Cuban economist Pedro Monreal raised an alarm on the social network X about the lack of publication of agricultural statistics for 2023, just 45 days before the end of the year, prompting a question: Is the regime afraid to reveal the details of the failure of its economic policies?
According to Monreal, this delay is unusual, as agricultural indicators are easier to compile than those of other economic sectors and should not pose significant complications.
The specialist suggests that rather than a technical incompetence, the lack of transparency could be a strategy to conceal negative figures that would confirm the failure of the economic policies implemented by the government.
Concern arises in a context where the regime insists that the reforms implemented to "correct distortions and revive the economy" are yielding results. This is hard to believe amid the ongoing systemic crisis in the country.
While Miguel Díaz-Canel, Manuel Marrero Cruz, and their entire entourage believe that "progress has continued in the projections aimed at the reactivation of national production," Cuban families must reinvent themselves daily to survive.
The food scarcity affecting the population, along with ongoing difficulties in agriculture, seriously calls into question the government's (illogical) optimism. It is well-known, for instance, the poor results of the recent sugar harvests.
In September 2023, the dismissed former Minister of Food Industry, Manuel Sobrino Martínez, stated that the country had the capacity to significantly increase the food supply, despite financial constraints and other adverse factors.
However, since 2022, Cuban farmers have not experienced significant improvements in their production or incomes, leading to growing frustration.
Although in April 2021 the government approved 63 economic measures to boost agriculture, producers maintain that these reforms have not had the anticipated impact.
Inflation has disrupted profits, making revenues insufficient for new investments and improving productivity.
That said, it is clear that the official silence regarding agricultural figures for 2023 indicates the complete ineffectiveness of the policies implemented in a sector crucial for food security and the well-being of the Cuban population.
Filed under: