An official from the Ministry of Internal Trade (Mincin) admitted on state television that Cuba achieves "significant figures" in national rice production, but the population does not see that result due to the complex situation in the country and failures in the supply chains.
The statements from Rosa María Rizo Constantén, vice president of the wholesale food group of Mincin, were made during the latest edition of the official television program Cuadrando la Caja, broadcast on September 6, where she and the advisor from the mentioned ministry, Arturo Vázquez Hernández, analyzed the 176 economic transformations approved by the National Assembly in June.
"We have also managed to produce a significant amount of domestically produced rice. Today, we have reached those numbers that the population may not perceive due to the very complex situation," Rizo stated, without providing specific figures that would clarify what that significant production is.
The official herself acknowledged that Cuba needs 40,000 tons of rice each month to supply its nine million inhabitants, in addition to schools and hospitals.
According to the explanation, since 2019 the country has had to bear practically alone the importation of that volume, at a cost of between 800 and 900 dollars per ton.
Vázquez, for his part, admitted that "the impact of fuel cuts has practically affected all supply chains in the country," an explanation that identifies the lack of distribution as one of the main obstacles preventing the rice produced from reaching consumers.
The advisor also acknowledged issues within the functioning of the sector, mentioning "irregularities associated with indiscipline, shoddiness, and bad practices," both in the public and private spheres.
In the program, officials presented alternatives such as supply markets, public purchases financed with state budget funds, the Neighborhood Market project, and the opening of the domestic market to foreign investment.
They also mentioned the project developed with Vietnam in Granma, Sancti Spíritus, and Pinar del Río. In August, a Vietnamese company delivered the first batch of rice produced with Asian technology on Cuban soil, yielding more than seven tons per hectare, over three times the national average.
The official discourse regarding a national production capable of achieving "significant figures" contrasts with the available production and demand data.
In 2024, national production barely reached about 80,000 tons compared to an estimated annual demand of between 600,000 and 700,000 tons.
The gap is also highlighted when comparing the current situation to the period before 1959. At that time, Cuba produced an average of 163,000 metric tons of milled rice per year, while by 2025, production was estimated to be less than 30,000 tons.
The decline in cereal availability also has a direct impact on prices. This year, the price of rice exceeded 400 Cuban pesos in the informal market, while the average state salary hovers around 7,000 pesos per month.
The explanation now provided by the Mincin also recalls another controversy involving the Cuadrando la Caja program in December 2025, when a guest suggested that Cubans should stop eating rice and potatoes because "we are not Asians."
The statements sparked outrage and were challenged with data by the economist Pedro Monreal, who debunked the official argument about alleged excessive rice consumption.
The controversy even prompted a reaction from the program's host, who called those who criticized those statements "gusanos". Months later, the discourse again shifts the problem away from the actual availability of food, this time explaining that rice is produced but does not reach the population.
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