In a statement that insults the intelligence and dignity of Cubans, the official media outlet Cubadebate suggested that the decline in international tourism has caused “surpluses in the agricultural sector”, as if Cuban agriculture were producing enough to supply the population and now had excess products.
"The agricultural sector, which allocates a significant volume of its production to supply the tourism industry, is now facing surpluses that do not find an alternative internal market," the authors of the article stated in the conclusions of the text. The excerpt was later removed, but an attentive reader criticized the official media for the cruel mockery that such an observation implied.
The statement, disconnected from all reality and marked by profound cynicism, not only glosses over the failure of the productive and economic model but also seeks to turn a catastrophe into a supposed "opportunity."
How can there be “surpluses” in a country where basic products such as rice, beans, milk, or oil are scarce? How can we speak of agricultural surpluses when the stores do not fulfill the rationing deliveries, the state markets are practically empty, and access to quality food has become a privilege for those who receive remittances or have access to foreign currency?
Severe agrarian crisis: What the official discourse remains silent about
The reality is that the Cuban agricultural sector is in a deep crisis. The latest official statistics reveal dramatic declines in the production of root vegetables, vegetables, pork, and milk.
The lack of supplies, the abandonment of the countryside, ineffective state control, and unpaid debts to producers have led to a breaking point. Even the state press has acknowledged that more than 70% of the food consumed in Cuba must be imported, making the notion of "surpluses" even more implausible.
What Cubadebate deliberately omits is that the lower influx of tourists has not freed up agricultural products in the national markets, but rather has worsened the foreign currency income crisis that would allow for the import of basic foods. The decline in tourism does not feed the people; it further impoverishes them.
The narrative of abundance in times of hunger
In a country where hundreds of thousands of families struggle to make a daily meal and where the cost of a pound of rice can equal a full day's wage, talking about agricultural surpluses is a cruel joke.
It is a manipulative narrative that aims to present as an achievement what is nothing more than a national productive disaster.
The regime tries to distract attention from the collapse of its economic model—centered on a tourism controlled by the military through the GAESA conglomerate—by spinning self-satisfied narratives.
Meanwhile, they continue to allocate billions of dollars to empty hotels, the countryside sinks into misery, and Cubans on the island survive as best they can, amidst long lines, hunger, and despair.
Investment in which country?
The regime's insistence on prioritizing tourism as an economic engine, despite its negative results and disconnection from the country's urgent needs, demonstrates the elitist and militarized nature of the system.
Each new hotel built is a symbol of the abandonment of the countryside and the people. Every peso not invested in fertilizers, seeds, irrigation, agricultural technology, or incentives for farmers is a deliberate renunciation of the right of Cubans to dignified food.
To talk about "agricultural surpluses" when there is not enough production even to ensure a minimum diet is not only a lie: it is an indecency.
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