Miguel Díaz-Canel warned that Cuban state enterprises will have to seek foreign currency to acquire fuel, raw materials, and supplies, acknowledging that the supply mechanisms used until now no longer meet the needs of the business system.
During a meeting with state executives, the ruler emphasized that companies must increase their exports and generate income in foreign currency to finance their activities, according to a report published this Monday by the Presidencia Cuba website.
Referring to the need to change the traditional relationships between ministries and enterprises, Díaz-Canel stated that the latter must move towards greater autonomy and secure resources on their own.
In that context, the president warned that the fuel would "no longer come through the little channel," according to the expression attributed to journalist René Tamayo León.
The statement reflects an acknowledgment of the difficulties the State faces in maintaining the usual supply mechanisms, although Díaz-Canel did not specify whether these will be eliminated, which companies will continue receiving allocations, or how the supply to entities that do not generate income in foreign currency will be guaranteed.
The requirement also does not constitute a new authorization to manage fuel. That authority had already been announced in July as part of the economic transformations initiated by the Cuban government.
State-owned companies will need to seek foreign currency to acquire fuel
In September, the authorities in Guantánamo acknowledged that they had been without state supplies of diesel and gasoline for days, a situation that threatened the operation of essential services.
In the face of shortages, the first secretary of the Communist Party in the province, Yoel Pérez García, urged companies, organizations, and local institutions to seek fuel from small and medium-sized enterprises and other private actors with import capacity.
The situation even affected the transportation of food products.
More than 140 tons of rice and 51 tons of beans were unable to be transported from Santiago de Cuba to Guantánamo due to a lack of fuel, according to the information released at that time.
The government had promised greater business autonomy
In July, Díaz-Canel advocated for greater autonomy for state-owned enterprises, which would include powers to manage fuels and supplies, import and export, manage foreign currency accounts, and distribute profits.
Greater opportunities were also announced for selecting suppliers and customers, as well as for retaining part of the income generated from exports.
However, the new administrative powers do not automatically resolve the fuel shortage nor guarantee that all companies will have access to foreign currency.
In September, the government established new regulations to determine what proportion of certain foreign currency earnings economic actors can retain and what must be sold to the state.
The Resolution 103/2026, published in the Official Gazette, maintains the management of foreign currencies within a system subject to state regulation and control.
Consequently, the announced autonomy coexists with administrative mechanisms that continue to restrict access to and the use of foreign currency.
More than 360 state-owned companies reported losses
The demands of the ruler arise in a context of economic deterioration within the state-owned enterprise system itself.
According to data from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) released in July, 363 Cuban state-owned enterprises were reporting losses at the end of May 2026.
The deterioration was accompanied by productivity issues, a decline in sales and profits, difficulties in importing raw materials, and a growing depletion of the productive facilities.
These conditions pose a challenge for companies that will now need to rely more on their ability to generate revenue.
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