Eliezer García Delgado, a 24-year-old farmer from the La Caridad estate in Fontanales, Ciego de Ávila, reported this Monday that criminals deliberately set fire to his family's fields in broad daylight, in an attack he attributes to a vendetta against his grandparents.
In a video shared on Facebook, the young man is seen trying to stop the advance of the flames with a machete and a branch. He explains that he wasn't even able to use the tractor because he did not have fuel to start it.
The images show the fire consuming part of a mangrove planted by their family over 15 years ago.
"Today, they intentionally set fire to the fields of my family's farm in broad daylight, criminals who contribute nothing to society but harm," he wrote while sharing the recording.
Beyond the fire, García Delgado seized the opportunity to describe the insecurity that he claims those who produce food in Cuba face daily.
"To be a farmer in Cuba, one must be prepared for hard work all day and not sleep at night, fighting against the worst plague currently affecting the fields of Cuba: thieves," he lamented.
The young man recounted that he was about to catch one of the individuals responsible, but he insisted that if he had reacted violently to protect his property, he would have ended up in prison.
"Now you take that guy, hit him over the head with a machete, rip it off, and he's arrested. At 24 years old, Elieser is in jail," he said.
"The laws in my country are not strong enough to prevent people like these from bothering citizens who produce food for the community; likewise, if we take justice into our own hands, then justice certainly comes to imprison those farmers who were defending their family heritage," he stated.
He also criticized the actions of the police.
"The police continue to be more concerned about the music from the motorbikes instead of addressing the thieves and bandits who are harming the farmers that produce food for the people," he expressed.
According to his testimony, the fire was started by individuals who have a feud with his grandparents, whom he described as "two poor old folks, honest people."
A violence that strikes the Cuban countryside
The case adds to a growing wave of violence and insecurity affecting rural producers on the island.
On July 11, a farmer from Songo-La Maya, in Santiago de Cuba, reported that he was assaulted by armed men during the early morning hours, who slaughtered his dogs and forced him to leave his farm. In May, the producer Osvaldo Carbonel was murdered in Segundo Frente while trying to recover a pair of oxen that had been stolen from him.
The Cuban Observatory of Citizen Audit recorded 721 reports of thefts in rural areas during 2025, with Matanzas, Las Tunas, and Santiago de Cuba among the most affected provinces. In February of this year, another 70-year-old farmer reported that criminals attempted to poison his dogs after having stolen more than eight animals, with authorities, according to his testimony, failing to apprehend those responsible.
These events occur in the context of a profound food crisis. In June, regime officials acknowledged the collapse of the distribution of basic goods from the regulated basket, while various reports warn that the vast majority of the population is facing difficulties in accessing adequate nutrition.
With his complaint, García Delgado aimed to explain why fewer and fewer Cubans are willing to stay in the countryside.
"When you wonder why no one wants to live in the countryside of Cuba, here is the answer," concluded the young man.
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