The Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Cuba, Telce González, acknowledged that he cannot tell Cubans when they will see a real improvement in food availability, stating that giving a specific date would be an act of irresponsibility on his part towards the farmers themselves.
The statement was made during the latest edition of the state television program Cuadrando la Caja , where González participated alongside a director of an agro-industrial company from Villa Clara and the president of a cooperative from Artemisa to discuss the agricultural transformations promoted by the regime.
"It would be very irresponsible of me to give you an exact figure. Otherwise, I would not be respecting the work of the producers," replied the official when the host of the program Marxlenin Pérez Valdés asked him, on behalf of the viewers, how long it would take to see improvements in the markets, the small markets, and the tables of Cuban families.
González argued that the comprehensive nature of the reform package convinces him that "there will indeed be a positive impact," although he admitted, "What I can't tell you exactly is when that will be."
The deputy minister did provide a partial hint. Short-cycle crops such as vegetables, tomatoes, carrots, beets, okra, and beans could show results "in a few months," he stated.
The cooperativist from Artemisa who participated in the program was more specific, estimating that there would be some response in those areas between November and January, although he clarified, "Agriculture is not a factory where you throw the fabric over here and the shirt over there."
The debate centered on the 176 economic and social transformations approved in June, of which 162 directly impact the agricultural sector.
The evasive response from the deputy minister sparked a wave of reactions on social media. "We've been waiting for the little cup of milk that Raúl promised since 2007," wrote one user.
Another was more direct: "We lost hope because it's been too long and there have been too many unfulfilled promises. Results are what is rewarded and expected. You can't eat efforts and good wishes."
Among the most notable measures is the new Agricultural and Forestry Land Law, which eliminates the limits on hectares and terms for usufruct, allowing cooperatives to open accounts in foreign currency and directly import and export.
González indicated that in just 10 days since the law came into effect, over 27,000 hectares had already been requested, with more than 2,000 individuals and over 15,000 small and medium-sized enterprises seeking access to land.
However, the program itself revealed structural obstacles that dampen any optimism, such as the lack of fuel, power outages that hinder banking transactions, and a bureaucratic resistance that the deputy minister acknowledged. "The rules alone will not work. The bottleneck is in our minds," he admitted.
At the beginning of October, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz promised that the results of the reforms would be seen in 2027, while acknowledging that "the improvement in the quality of life of the population is still not evident."
The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) projects this year a 10.3% decline in Cuba's GDP, the worst in Latin America, with food inflation at 36.01% year-on-year in August and the informal dollar exceeding 700 pesos in September.
Cuban rice production fell from 304,000 tons in 2018 to just 79,000 in 2025, while the country imports nearly 80% of the food it consumes, with annual expenses exceeding 2 billion dollars.
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