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The Cuban Ministry of Domestic Trade (MINCIN) announced the receipt in the warehouses of the Food Wholesale Company of Las Tunas of the first railway containers loaded with rice donated by China, transported from the port of Nuevitas, in Camagüey.
The photographs show unloading operations with forklifts and workers handling bags of 50 kg that bear the inscription "Assistance from China / For a Shared Future" in Spanish and Chinese, a symbol of the emergency package approved by President Xi Jinping in January 2026.
This package includes 60,000 tons of rice and 80 million dollars in financial aid, along with a previous donation of 30,000 tons, for a total commitment of 90,000. The first shipments arrived in Cuba in March: the ship Loyalty Hong unloaded 15,600 tons at the port of Havana on March 26, and another 15,000 tons set sail from Shanghai the following day bound for the island.
The arrival of the cereal in Las Tunas is particularly significant because in February the province had no rice available in the state system, a situation caused by the breakdown of a ship that was supposed to transport it from Cienfuegos to Nuevitas and by the fuel shortage that is paralyzing transportation across the island.
However, the distribution has been deeply unequal, and complaints on social media quickly followed. While in Camagüey there were reports of five pounds per consumer starting April 15, and in Mayabeque four pounds per person since April 4, a resident of Holguín reported in the comments of the MINCIN publication that in that province "only six kilograms have been distributed for seniors over 65 and for children under five." "The entire population needs that rice, the people's food supply is dwindling... I sincerely hope it arrives soon... People no longer know where to find money to buy at exorbitant prices," added the commenter.
Other internet users also reported irregularities in distribution or absences in their respective provinces: "What about Villa Clara? Nothing has arrived here, not even from other donations," commented someone, and this was echoed by others. Another internet user from Matanzas pointed out: "This year, out of the donations that have been made, I have only seen four pounds of rice, and I live in Cárdenas... But that's not what I see on the 8:00 news," also alluding to the lack of constant and verifiable public information about the management of donations.
These distribution problems are compounded by recent reports of theft, including four quintals of donated rice and other grains; as well as accounts from citizens who received three pounds of rice in poor condition.
The inconsistencies and delays in the meager supplies that the State continues to sell in a controlled manner in the stores of each locality are part of a profound food crisis that even international organizations have warned constitutes a humanitarian emergency. Relying on donations from other nations, the Cuban government has not proposed viable solutions to the complex situation, despite having repeatedly promoted packages of measures, plans, and political orientations aimed at resolving it.
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