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Just a few days after a Cuban regime official blamed the consumption of rice and potatoes for the country's agricultural crisis, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz published a message on social media celebrating the "advancements" of the Urban, Suburban, and Family Agriculture program, which sparked a wave of mockery and ironic comments.
“Urban, Suburban, and Family Agriculture, a program created by Army General Raúl Castro Ruz 38 years ago, represents a valuable alternative to bring agricultural production closer to the population. Congratulations to those who make its progress possible,” wrote Marrero on his X account (formerly Twitter).
The tweet, published amid widespread food shortages and skyrocketing prices in the markets, was met with a flood of criticism.
Many users reminded him that the "urban gardens" of the 1990s—presented as a solution to hunger during the Special Period—are now abandoned or overgrown with marabou.
“38 years ago, Raúl Castro lived drunk morning, noon, and night, which is why it hasn't worked. After 38 years, we should see results, and Cubans shouldn't still be living with a ration card suffering from shortages”, replied an internet user to the post.
“Urban agriculture and family urban agriculture are destined for misappropriation of funds and failure. Only the retrograde mind of someone sitting in a mansion could propose something that has already completely failed. What a tremendous “distortion of the economy,” noted another forum user.
“It’s true, the population enjoys excellent nutrition with this alternative....!”, another one sarcastically remarked.
This week there was a media scandal due to the statements made by doctor Roberto Caballero, a member of the National Executive Committee of Agricultural and Forestry Technicians.
Caballero had stated on the official program Cuadrando la Caja that one of the problems of the Cuban agriculture is that citizens “have become accustomed to eating foods that are not native to the country,” referring to rice and potatoes.
“We are not Asians. Eating rice is not a Cuban habit,” he said, in a statement that sparked widespread outrage and thousands of mocking reactions on social media.
Many believe that the official discourse seeks to divert responsibility from the State and present what is actually a structural collapse of the agricultural system as a "cultural problem."
Meanwhile, the markets remain empty. A pound of rice exceeds 200 pesos in the informal market, and potatoes—when they appear—are sold at prices unreachable for most people.
In that context, Marrero's words about the "valuable alternative" of urban agriculture sound, to many, like a mockery.
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