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The independent organization Food Monitor Program (FMP) reported that the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) of the Cuban regime manipulates and embellishes official data to conceal the true extent of hunger and the productive collapse in the country.
In a recent analysis, FMP stated that the ONEI, far from being a technical and neutral entity, "functions as a cog in the state apparatus that produces figures that legitimize more than they inform."
According to the organization, the magnitude of the economic crisis has even forced official data to partially reveal the severity of the decline.
The report compares statistical yearbooks and official databases, highlighting a historic contraction in food production between 2018 and 2023.
Processed rice fell by 90%, pasta by 91%, and pork by 93%; dairy products also plummeted: cheese (-52%), yogurt (-69%), and evaporated milk (-90%).
According to the observatory, even bread, a basic product in the standard basket, decreased by 30%.
"These figures do not come from opposition sources or from academics in exile, but from the ONEI itself," emphasizes FMP.
"The productive collapse is so dramatic that even official statistics cannot conceal it," he emphasized.
The organization highlights that the ONEI does not publish information disaggregated by provinces or municipalities, omits data on power outages, food waste, or the weight of the informal economy, and maintains indicators calculated with outdated methodologies, such as constant prices from 1997 or 2010 and unemployment rates that never exceed 3%.
FMP believes that this statistical opacity is a political strategy of the regime: "Statistics in Cuba do not reflect reality; they construct it. The State uses numbers as a narrative of legitimacy."
The independent group —which conducts surveys and interviews on consumption, nutrition, and access to food— warns that measuring poverty and hunger in Cuba is a task pursued by the authorities.
"The State harasses those who attempt to independently measure these realities," the organization denounced.
FMP urges the comparison of official data with external sources—such as the FAO, the World Food Program, or human rights reports—though it notes that even these organizations "largely rely on figures provided by the Cuban government itself."
"Only through this triangulation can a more complete picture of the polycrisis affecting the island be reconstructed," concludes the report.
"In a country where hunger can no longer be hidden, every statistical silence is also a message: what the State does not measure, the citizen experiences firsthand."
The accelerated deterioration of food availability in Cuba has led to an alarming increase in malnutrition rates, with visible consequences for public health.
Independent organizations have warned of the increase in diseases associated with nutritional deficiency, such as anemia, gastrointestinal disorders, and skin conditions, especially in children and the elderly.
Consulted doctors agree that clinical cases related to hunger have become common in medical offices, while widespread shortages hinder effective care.
The situation is becoming more critical with the documented increase in deaths related to malnutrition.
Testimonials gathered by independent media reflect the impact on vulnerable sectors, such as elderly individuals living alone or families without access to remittances.
At the same time, healthcare workers have raised concerns about institutional opacity and the lack of official data that conceal the true magnitude of the food crisis.
In this emergency context, public trust in the government's ability to reverse the situation is virtually nonexistent.
A recent survey by the FMP revealed that 94% of Cubans do not believe that the government can resolve the food crisis, while 78% reported having experienced hunger recently.
This study also indicated that more than 60% of respondents consume fewer than two meals a day, and many of them rely exclusively on informal networks to access food.
Desperation has reached unprecedented levels. The sale of wild birds such as the pitirre for human consumption reflects the extent to which food security in the country has deteriorated.
On social media, there have been posts from citizens offering these birds for 400 Cuban pesos, justifying their sale as the only alternative to provide protein on the table.
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