Cuba faces growing crisis with severe food shortages, rising poverty
Independent Cuban portals report that problems with the supply of basic food products are becoming increasingly severe in Cuba. Human rights organisations highlight that the escalating food shortages in Cuban stores are deepening residents' poverty.
On Wednesday, independent Cuban portals reported mounting problems related to shortages of basic foodstuffs in Cuba.
According to information provided by the 14ymedio portal, Cuban stores notably lacked powdered milk, poultry, oil, sausages, and pasta on Wednesday.
Similar reports appeared in the government newspaper '5 de Septiembre', which notes that the escalating food shortages are due to the implementation of price caps and the intense activity of the black market. According to the newspaper, food products are being purchased en masse by people engaged in street trading.
Human rights organisations emphasise that the deepening shortages of goods in Cuban stores are contributing to increasing poverty among the island's residents.
Not only stores. Cuba has problems
In recent months, Cuba has also dealt with other issues, such as power outages, rising fuel prices, and declining agricultural and industrial production.
Government data also confirm the dramatic decline in food production on the island. Information from the National Office of Statistics and Information (Onei) in Havana indicates that food production has decreased by almost 70 per cent over the past five years.
The government-run Cuban institution points out that particularly severe reductions in production have affected pork, rice, and bread.
