Regarding rice for the month of April, he explained that the commitment was fulfilled, an additional 1 kg was delivered, and a similar distribution also began in May. The provinces from Pinar del Río to Ciego de Ávila have the product to deliver seven pounds. Three provinces completed this process and the distribution of the additional kilogram has already begun. “This month there will also be an additional kilogram,” he reported.
Meanwhile, Camagüey and Las Tunas are in the process of extracting the product from a ship in the port of Nuevitas, “a process that we estimate will not conclude in May, due to the remaining days and the volumes to be extracted. Holguín must receive a ship in the next few hours, which will allow it to deliver the rice in better time. And we have the rest of the east left, there is a ship that is on Cuban coasts, but we must have the financing to unload it and continue distribution.”
The minister reported that on the Isla de la Juventud, which has coverage and priority, it was completed a few days ago, with a boat that was able to sail when the weather conditions improved.
“In Holguín, between entering the port and the rains it took more than six days. We are behind on distribution. Actually, the province most affected in recent months has been Holguín. That month should have a better situation, but it will not be concluded either.
“That is, in the provinces from Ciego de Ávila to Guantánamo, we will not complete the seven pounds and the additional kilogram within the month, although the rice is guaranteed, it is and will be delivered”accurate.
He clarified, when referring to the specificities by municipalities and provinces – “which we must manage to make them territorial” – that the particular distribution in the province has to be done by the province, and “we inform that it is assured when the imports are contracted, when the ships are arriving in the country or in the country.”
Turning to the rest of the products, Díaz Velázquez specified that in April the sugar owed for the month of March was completed and refined sugar was incorporated. The planned grain was distributed, although some remain pending, mainly from May. The industry concluded coffee production on April 30 and finished distribution in seven days.
Likewise, the delivery of the oil was completed in April, “which we had not given in March.
Hermetically preserved meat was incorporated into the distribution, which is given to areas with difficult access, the Turquino Plan. At the close of today we have five tons left in the Zapata Swamp, and there is a commitment to conclude that distribution.
“In addition, the decision was made, due to a deficit of beef in agriculture, to deliver canned beef to children, in which there had been an impact in February, March and April, and it was decided to incorporate donation products that They arrived, like sardines.
“In the case of the eastern provinces, the distribution continues, due to an offer from the World Food Program, of rice, oil and grains, and there is also a distribution advancing, in some provinces we are in a sixth and in others in a seventh distribution , of products to people in vulnerable situations, pregnant women and low-weight children.”
“We ratify that there is a commitment from the Government to guarantee product deliveries and recover arrears. These issues are followed up every day,” said the Minister of Internal Trade.
Regarding sugar, he pointed out that “there are provinces that delivered May sugar. There is the sugar of May, but there is sugar to transport. Not all provinces produced the sugar demanded by the regulated family basket. It is a production that is very affected, there is sugar that is being transported and provinces with the largest volumes to receive, such as Santiago, Holguín, Guantánamo, Camagüey and Havana. We confirm that there is the sugar that corresponds to May.”
He then explained that the donations came in two ways. First from China, in 50 kg bags. “We have also received a donation from Brazil in 50 kg bags. We have also received donations of packaged products. Havana received packaged sugar. We avoid, whenever possible, opening the packages of packaged products to distribute them. It is an additional product, not included in the basket, and we continue to prioritize delivery with the product closed, not opening the package to distribute.”
He added that in May the most complex thing should be finishing distributing the rice.
“We will not complete the sugar in all the provinces in the month (Holguín, Santiago and Guantánamo, due to the remaining volumes). We have not distributed canned meats as we would like. Pea is available. The distribution of soy yogurt is affected by the energy situation. The egg was distributed. “We continue to review everything we can incorporate for the summer,” he said, and stressed that “the great challenge continues to be producing more food in the country.”
According to the minister, the rice purchased today “costs us double what it cost in 2019 or 2020.” At the same time, oil has had significant growth, but it has the same prices as part of the basket. Meanwhile, “a liter of milk is paid to the producer at 38 pesos, but it is sold to children at 25 cents.”
He stated that the increase in product costs decreases the financing capacity and forces people to buy less.
“There are municipalities in Cuba that could be self-sufficient in rice and grains. The challenge is how we ensure that those municipalities with that capacity can be self-sufficient. Today we bring imported rice to purely rice-producing municipalities,” he added. “Territorial production must be maximized, because, in addition to availability, it shortens delivery cycles, if we take into account transportation logistics.”
