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The rice distribution corresponding to the regulated family basket for March began at the Guillermón Moncada port in Santiago de Cuba, according to Edelva Marín Medina, coordinator of Government Programs and Objectives for the Provincial Government.
According to the announcement posted on social media by the official station CMKW Radio Mambí, the grain is currently being unloaded at the port terminal and will be immediately distributed to the warehouses in the Santiago territory.
Rice is one of the most sensitive products within the already strained basic basket in Cuba, set against a backdrop of chronic food shortages, delays in deliveries, and increasingly reduced rations for the population.
In response to the announcement, many Cubans reacted with skepticism on social media, wondering whether the shipment will actually be enough for all consumers or if delays and shortages in stores will occur again.
Uncertainty comes at a time of changes in the state distribution system.
The Cuban government announced that starting in April, a new approach will be implemented for the regulated family basket. Products will not be subsidized generally; instead, the subsidy will be directed specifically to vulnerable individuals.
The measure was announced on February 17 during a meeting of the Municipal Administration Council of Cotorro, in Havana. The basket will be "differentiated," and the products will be sold at prices higher than the current ones.
Amid one of the worst food crises in recent decades, the announcement reinforces the concerns of many Cuban families about the future of access to basic staples such as rice.
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