Cuba to Deregulate Building Materials

HAVANA TIMES, Nov. 18 — Starting January 2011 the Cuban government will deregulate the sale of construction materials, which will be sold at non-subsidized (market) prices in the shops of the Ministry of Domestic Trade, announced Pilar Fernández,  of the non-food products department of that ministry.  Cuba has a housing deficit of more than half a million, which the authorities hope to decrease by encouraging construction by persons through their own means, reported IPS.

The ability of most Cubans to buy building materials at market prices and whether the government stores can meet demand are two of the big questions posed by the working population.