Madrid/Nothing but bad news came out of the most recent meeting of the Council of Ministers in Cuba, which the usual voluntarism does not even conceal. “It is true that the best levels of production or performance cannot be achieved, but it is possible to move forward if we exploit collective intelligence to the fullest,” said Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, according to the official press on Sunday night. .
The economic outlook at the end of the first quarter of the year is “unfavorable,” the authorities described. “Among other elements, income from exports decreases, imports also decrease, and different key economic activities are not fulfilled, such as the main agricultural production, sugar and other derivatives, as well as the generation of electricity,” listed Joaquín Alonso Vázquez. , Minister of Economy and Planning.
In addition, more than 300 companies “in strategic sectors” have losses, the peso continues in free fall “due to the informal exchange rate” – the dollar is quoted on the street this Monday at 370 CUP – and, “consequently,” it continues the rise in prices.
The peso continues in free fall “due to the informal exchange rate” and the rise in prices continues
Only three areas had a slightly positive balance: the export of medical services, tourism – which, although they recognize that it is below expectations, registers a growth of 6.5% compared to 2023 – and telecommunications.
The minister boasted that, despite the “difficult scenario,” more than 330,000 people “in vulnerable situations” are protected. However, these are not very high figures for the “protected” population, if the shortage data provided by international organizations are taken into account. The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights reported last September that 88% of Cubans on the island live below the poverty line and, according to the Human Development Index prepared by the United Nations, misery in Cuba reaches worse levels than in the Special Period of the nineties.
“Social policies are one of the work priorities of the Cuban Government,” insist the authorities, who ensure “the effectiveness of the implementation of the Government’s projections, despite the adjustments that must be made.”
Of the more than “4,000 control actions”, 24% received “a rating of poor or bad”
Among these “projections” are tax measures such as the elimination of tax exemptions for private individuals, the application of sales tax to all operations of the MSMEs and the increase in fiscal control. With this, the budget deficit reaches 22,822 million pesos. “Although this figure is lower than planned,” states the official press, “around 20% of this decrease was due to the non-execution of a group of Budget items that have a great impact, especially on social policies.” .
Regarding the “contracting and marketing of agricultural products”, the situation is also worrying. In the first three months of 2024, agreements were only signed with 188,197 producers, barely half of those in the country.
They attributed the blame for this, fundamentally, to “the lack of monitoring and control carried out by the municipality”, “a fundamental hiring scenario.”
Finally, the meeting discussed another star topic: “indiscipline, illegalities and manifestations of administrative corruption during the year 2023.” Of the more than “4,000 control actions,” 24% received “a rating of poor or bad.” The largest number of “alleged criminal acts and corruption” was detected in the Ministry of Agriculture and the Provincial Government of the People’s Power of Havana. This, Marrero Cruz also acknowledged, is an “unresolved issue.”
