Amid the worst agricultural crisis in decades, Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel announced on Friday a set of measures aimed at revitalizing food production, easing access to supplies, and attracting investments to the agricultural sector.
The initiatives are part of the Economic and Social Program for 2026, submitted for public consultation at the end of 2025 and reviewed, as stated by the leader, with input from Cuban and international experts, along with the use of artificial intelligence tools and references to experiences from countries like China and Vietnam.
The announcement comes in a context marked by the collapse of national food production, an increase in imports, and a growing food insecurity affecting millions of Cubans.
More powers for those who cultivate the land
The central axis of the reforms announced by Díaz-Canel consists of granting greater facilities to state, cooperative, and private producers in an attempt to reverse years of productive decline.
According to the explanation, the new measures aim to stimulate and revive agricultural production through:
- The allocation of land to those who can truly make it productive.
- The reduction of idle land.
- The increase in agricultural productivity.
- The simplification of the procedures related to agricultural activities.
The ruler assured that new powers will be granted for land use with the aim of having "the lowest level of idle land" and "the highest levels of productivity."
Access to supplies, foreign currency, and the exchange market
One of the most significant announcements concerns producers' access to resources that have been one of the main obstacles to production for years.
According to Díaz-Canel, farmers will be able to:
- Access to supply markets in national currency.
- Buy supplies in foreign currency.
- Participate in the foreign exchange market.
- Open real currency accounts at Cuban banks.
"So that the producer also has access to input markets, both in foreign currency and national currency; so that the producer also has access to the exchange market", he stated.
The measures would encompass state, cooperative, private producers, and even projects linked to foreign investment.
More partnerships and openness to foreign investment
The plan also aims to facilitate cooperation among the various economic actors involved in food production.
According to the leader, conditions will be created for state producers, cooperatives, private entities, and foreign investors to establish partnerships and joint projects.
Díaz-Canel pointed out that all productive actors will be able to "interrelate and form associations among themselves," and confirmed that foreign investment will also be able to participate directly in food production.
The stated intention is to promote new business models that can increase national production in the shortest time possible.
Less bureaucracy to produce
Another of the announced promises is the reduction of administrative obstacles that have traditionally affected the agricultural sector.
The ruler stated that the aim is to expedite:
- The creation of businesses.
- The approval of agricultural projects.
- Procedures related to agricultural production.
The goal, he said, is to have "the least possible delay, minimal paperwork, and the least possible bureaucracy."
The new Land Law expands usufruct, but maintains limits
The announced measures are complemented by the Agricultural and Forestry Land Bill published this week by the regime.
The regulation extends usufruct contracts up to 25 years, with the possibility of renewal, and increases the maximum limits for certain agricultural activities to 268 hectares.
However, it maintains significant restrictions on land ownership and circulation:
- Leasing remains prohibited.
- The State retains the right of preemption on any transfer.
- Private property remains limited to 67.10 hectares per owner.
The publication of the project coincided with the announcement of the dissolution of the Ministry of Agriculture, which would be replaced by a new Ministry of Agro-food, responsible for integrating agriculture, sugar, fishing, and food industry.
The stated goal: Achieving food sovereignty
Díaz-Canel affirmed that all these transformations pursue a common goal: to reduce external food dependency and increase national production.
He explained that the new business models and the planned flexibilizations should enable Cuba to "achieve food sovereignty and become self-sufficient in food production."
A sector mired in a historical crisis
The measures come at a time when Cuban agriculture is going through one of its most critical moments.
- Rice production fell from 304,000 tons in 2018 to 111,000 tons in 2025.
- The tubers decreased by 44%.
- Egg production fell by 43%.
- Milk prices decreased by 37.6%.
- In 2024, the agricultural sector recorded a 53% decline in its primary production.
Cuba continues to import between 70% and 80% of the food it consumes, at a cost of nearly 2 billion dollars annually.
Meanwhile, the independent survey In Cuba There Is Hunger 2025 revealed that 33.9% of households had at least one member who went to bed hungry in the past month, and independent organizations have warned of a chronic humanitarian emergency related to food.
In several provinces, farmers have reported that they must exchange food for fuel to maintain their crops, while others have reverted to using oxen and windmills due to the shortage of supplies and machinery.
Promises in the face of an accumulated crisis
Although the government presents the new measures as a profound transformation to rescue food production, these still need to be approved by the Political Bureau and the National Assembly next July.
The announcement comes after years of a sustained decline in agricultural production and in a context where many of the obstacles identified by the producers themselves—such as the lack of supplies, bureaucracy, trade restrictions, and limitations on land—continue to be directly tied to the state economic model.
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