Cuban-American congresswoman María Elvira Salazar reacted strongly to reports suggesting that the regime is using micro, small, and medium enterprises (mipymes) as a new means to import fuel amid the deep energy crisis affecting the island.
"Now they are using the so-called 'mipymes' to import fuel and evade sanctions," denounced on X. The legislator asserted that a year ago they warned that many of these companies would be in the hands of relatives, front men, and allies of the ruling elite to gain access to dollars and the banking system in the United States.
His statement comes in response to a report that revealed that the regime allows small and medium enterprises to directly and discreetly import fuel, with shipments reportedly already being carried out from Mexico and Florida, according to consulted sources.
The controversy arises just days after the Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, officially announced that the government will allow companies to purchase fuel abroad. “We are going to diversify the fuel importers in the country. We are facilitating and authorizing any company that has the ability to acquire fuel to do so,” the official stated on February 7.
However, the process is neither direct nor independent. As explained by the small and medium-sized enterprise Sonicarpa SRL on Facebook, interested companies must meet a series of requirements that include authorizations from Physical Planning, certification from the Fire Department, formal agreements from their partners, and, most importantly, conducting the import through a state entity such as QUIMIMPORT or MAPRINTER. Additionally, storage must be secured at ESICUBA and can take place in facilities of CUPET or other state entities.
In a country where power outages define daily life and both public and private transportation suffer constant disruptions due to a lack of fuel, this measure has raised more questions than certainties. On social media, many Cubans are questioning how much the mandatory intermediation by state-owned companies, along with insurance and storage costs, will increase prices, and whether the final cost will further burden the consumer.
"Now it is possible to import fuel, whereas it wasn't before. Who was blocking the importation for small and medium-sized enterprises?" wrote a user, reflecting the skepticism of a population tired of announcements that do not always translate into real solutions.
Meanwhile, the Government has not disclosed details regarding trade margins, tariffs, or approval times—key elements to assess whether this opening will alleviate shortages or, as Salazar warns, if it is merely a new financial facade amid the crisis.
For millions of Cubans who survive amid prolonged blackouts and rationed fuel, the discussion is neither technical nor political: it is a daily reality. It is about knowing whether they will be able to cook, get around, or keep a small business afloat in a country where every liter of gasoline has become yet another symbol of precariousness.
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