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The Cuban Minister of Food Industry, Alberto López Díaz, publicly acknowledged the collapse of the supply of basic food items in Cuba this Friday during his appearance on the television program Mesa Redonda, where he admitted that so far in 2026, the regulated basket has not distributed oil, chicken, or yogurt, and that only one round of coffee has been delivered in Havana.
"The impact on the basket has been tremendous. This year we have not been able to provide oil, chicken, or yogurt. We have barely given out one round of coffee in the capital of the country," acknowledged López Díaz before the cameras of state television.
One of the most serious situations described by the minister was the lack of milk for Cuban children. Cuba needs 1,500 tons of powdered milk to supply about 331,000 minors, along with another 200,000 who should receive liquid milk, but currently the State only guarantees the supply to 15,026 children with chronic illnesses and to more than 16,000 pregnant women.
"We can't get it even if we pay for it because it complicates matters. After we make the payment to the suppliers, they return it to us because banks and banking branches do not accept payments coming from Cuba," the official explained.
In May, milk also did not reach children across the country. "We have been unable to complete the distribution due to a lack of fuel," admitted López Díaz, who pointed out that the energy crisis directly worsens the production and distribution of food: "Without energy, without fuel, it is impossible—in an industry with our technology—to produce food."
The collapse is also affecting the supply of wheat. The minister revealed that out of more than six vessels contracted for 2026, only one has arrived, which was from the previous year. Additionally, 5,000 tons of contracted wheat flour could not reach the island because "pressures" caused the ship to be unloaded before it set sail. "There were some pressures, they unloaded it, and that wheat could not arrive in Cuba," he said.
In response to the question of who they are currently sourcing supplies from, the official was evasive: "Now we are contracting from much farther away. We are refraining from mentioning the names of countries and companies due to persecution."
The situation described by the minister aligns with the latest data on the food crisis.
Children in Havana have gone more than two months without receiving meat or ground beef from the ration book, and the price of rice in the informal market exceeds 400 pesos per pound, while the state salary hovers around 7,000 pesos per month.
According to the Food Monitor Program, 96.91% of the Cuban population lacks adequate access to food due to inflation and loss of income, a figure that reflects the accumulated deterioration of decades of state management of the economy.
The minister attributed the crisis to the U.S. embargo and estimated the losses in the sector at over 450 million dollars during 2025. However, he neglected to mention that Cuba's food dependency —the country imports between 70% and 80% of what it consumes— is a direct result of the agricultural policy of the dictatorship, which has dismantled national production for decades.
As relief measures, López Díaz announced the installation of more than 3,800 MWh of renewable power, the acquisition of more than 60 electric tricycles to distribute products from the regulated basket in a state of collapse, and the issuance of over 12,000 commercial fishing licenses.
The Cuban government has relied on donations from China, South Korea, and the World Food Program of the UN to partially support the rationing system, highlighting the state's inability to solely finance the basic food basket for its population.
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