The Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) published on social media a 23-second video in which a Cuban farmer passionately declares that he will not stop producing "even if the Americans come in front of me," which serves as a new piece of propaganda from the regime to attribute the food crisis to the U.S. embargo.
In the video, the man—middle-aged, wearing a blue shirt and a gold chain, standing in front of a field of green plants—states: “Despite the difficulties and the blockade imposed on us by the empire of the United States, we do not stop because we have to continue producing food for the revolution.”
The PCC accompanied the video with the message: "The spirit and will to overcome of the Cuban people cannot be broken. Despite the difficulties and the intensification of the blockade in Cuba, alternatives are being sought, navigating shortages and challenges, to produce food. In every corner and in many ways" along with the hashtag #LaPatriaSeDefiende.
The reality of the Cuban countryside starkly contradicts that message. The production of root vegetables fell by 44%, egg production by 43%, and milk production by 37.6% just in January 2025, according to data from the government itself. Between 2018 and 2023, pork production plummeted by 95% and rice by 87%, according to the World Food Program. Cuba depends on imports for about 70% to 80% of its food, according to the FAO.
Farmers not only face a shortage of supplies but also the chronic non-payment by the State. Producers from Granma reported more than 1,000 tons of tomatoes unpaid, according to the state newspaper Girón. Earlier this month, a farmer was fined 60,000 pesos —equivalent to four times the average salary— for "age difference in cattle."
The fuel shortage further exacerbates the situation. René Orellana, the FAO's regional representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, warned that the lack of diesel is halting agricultural machinery and jeopardizing crop harvests: "The population will not be able to access those foods."
The regime has responded to the crisis with two parallel strategies: timid reforms, such as the announcement of the end of the Acopio monopoly in April, and a propaganda campaign on social media that places all the blame on the embargo. This narrative is generating increasing skepticism among Cubans.
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