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The Cuban government publicly acknowledged that part of the food production on the island now relies on small and medium-sized private enterprises (MIPYMES), amidst a crisis that directly affects thousands of families and leaves more than 100,000 children without receiving the milk they are entitled to on a regular basis.
The admission occurred during the official program Cuadrando la Caja, where executives from major state companies in the agri-food sector described a scenario marked by a lack of fuel, logistical problems, and difficulties in importing essential raw materials.
One of the most revealing examples presented on state television was that of yogurt intended for Cuban children. As acknowledged by Dayana Matech Vilá, the first vice president of the Business Group of the Food Industry, Cuba was unable to acquire the necessary soy to produce that food either in 2025 or in 2026.
The solution came from the private sector.
"The country in 2025 and 2026 has been unable to acquire soy for making yogurt for the regulated family basket for children aged 7 to 12," the official admitted. She explained that a MIPYME took on the purchase of the raw material, allowing the state industry to continue producing the dairy product intended for children.
The recognition represents a significant shift in a country where for decades the official discourse relegated private initiative to a secondary role within the economy.
Matech Vilá stated that partnerships with private entrepreneurs have led to a 19% increase in the transformation of raw materials during the first quarter of 2026, reaching about 9,000 tons of finished production.
"We are more than convinced that this is part of the path to transformation," he assured.
However, behind these figures emerge concerning signs regarding the deterioration of the state's ability to ensure basic food supplies.
The management itself revealed that over 100,000 children have been affected by issues in milk distribution due to a fuel shortage for collecting and transporting the production.
"If we were with the fuel situation as it was in the last stable period, there wouldn't be more than 100,000 affected children," he acknowledged.
The situation is particularly critical in Havana, where all children depend on imported powdered milk. There, as the official explained, issues with shipping companies and difficulties in conducting commercial transactions have also led to the prolonged absence of other products intended for children.
"The children in the capital have the difficulty of going more than two months without receiving the ground meat for children," he admitted.
SMEs also participate in other projects that currently support part of state production. Among the mentioned examples are private investments for coffee industrialization in Havana and the financing of a hamburger line in Viñales.
The statements come just a few months after the enactment of Decree-Law 114, a regulation that formally governs partnerships between state-owned enterprises and private actors, aiming to enhance economic cooperation between the two sectors.
The recognition of this dependency comes at a particularly delicate moment for the country. Cuba continues to import between 70% and 80% of the food it consumes and is facing one of the worst economic crises in recent decades, characterized by inflation, scarcity, and a sustained deterioration of food security.
An independent survey conducted in 2025 revealed that 33.9% of Cuban households had at least one member who went to bed hungry at least once in the 30 days prior to the study, a figure that reflects the daily impact of a crisis that is becoming increasingly difficult to conceal even from official spaces.
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