Cooperatives in the province of Artemisa have become pioneers in importing fuel directly following the authorization included in the package of 176 Economic and Social Transformations. However, the price in foreign currency excludes the majority of producers who need it the most.
Juan Carlos Alcolea Torres, president of the National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP) in the province, confirmed that the Credit and Service Cooperatives (CCS) Frank País, from Güira de Melena, and José Antonio Echeverría, from Alquízar, are already importing oil directly.
A farmer from the CCS Vicente Pérez Noa, in San Antonio de los Baños, is also participating, and five other productive entities are preparing to join in, highlighted the official newspaper el artemiseño on Saturday.
The Frank País CCS, led by Pablo Orlando Pérez Guzmán, imported a total of over 150,000 liters of oil, distributed among various cooperatives in the area.
The fuel was initially priced at $2.50 per liter and is currently priced at $2.40, well below the price in the informal market, but significantly above the previous subsidized price of 13.99 pesos in national currency, the source pointed out.
"In total, the amount exceeded 150,000 liters. But more than half of the farmers in our CCS cannot afford to buy that oil, even though, unlike the price per liter here (at seven dollars), we initially paid 2.50 and today it's 2.40," Pérez acknowledged.
The cooperative leader also described the leap that producers are making by moving from the historically subsidized price to the new scheme in foreign currency.
"It is very expensive to produce under this model, and it is very difficult to move from the subsidized price of 13.99 pesos in national currency to two dollars and whatever they currently amount to," he assessed.
According to the media, the cooperative has attempted to alleviate the situation by providing between 20 and 50 liters of fuel to certain producers who cannot afford it, although it admits this is not enough for everyone. Nevertheless, over 50% of their land is planted or being prepared.
The bureaucratic process has not been easy either. "We are among the few who import directly, not through small and medium-sized enterprises. It has certainly been challenging: first, it took 18 days for contracts, permits, and certifications from the firefighters, Citma, and Cupet. And it takes 15 days or more for the goods to arrive from Mariel to us," Pérez detailed.
The producer Julián Leal Muñoz warned that the operation will barely allow for cost recovery, with no real profit margin, but that there is no alternative.
"It will be very difficult to cultivate all the areas, but we cannot settle for leaving lands unused. We need to produce on every farm and then strive to sell in foreign currency to obtain oil and continue increasing production," Leal explained.
This scenario is set against the backdrop of the most severe energy crisis Cuba has faced in decades. Following the capture of former president Nicolás Maduro on January 3, Venezuela halted its oil shipments to the island, while Mexico also restricted its cooperation, amidst sanctions imposed on the Caribbean country by the Trump administration.
In May, the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, publicly admitted that Cuba had "absolutely no fuel, no diesel, only accompanying gas."
The opening to the private and cooperative sector for importing fuel, following the partial dismantling of the state monopoly on this activity, has generated a significant flow of foreign currency.
Between January and June, Cuba purchased nearly 96 million dollars in fuels from the United States, although this flow exclusively benefits the non-state sector and does not address the collapse of the electrical system.
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