Food Rations Reduced and Arrive Late in Cienfuegos, Cuba
The provincial government claims there is enough food to go around but the ration store reality paints a different picture. .
By Julio Cesar Contreras (14ymedio)
HAVANA TIMES – The flies circulating around the counter of the Calle Gloria bodega — the ration store — are witnesses to the fact that the regulated family ration basket has not yet arrived. September is nearly over and although the province’s interior commerce authorities give assurances that there are enough stocks to ensure distribution, in the actual ration shops themselves it’s the opposite that is obviously the case.
Alfredo, retired, 68, asks if anything has arrived yet, knowing full well in advance what the shop’s answer will be. “I don’t know what these people are thinking. It’s not enough for them that they remove some of the products from the baskets, but then they only distribute them when and if they can be bothered. Obviously, none of those bosses need a ration book to survive”, he says. But his experience is very different because he only gets 1,800 pesos in his pension each month.
There’s room in the shop to store what has been announced – for each person 7 pounds of rice, 2 pounds of sugar, 10 ounces of peas, 4 boxes of cigars and tobacco – none of which anyone believes can be maintained in the months to come. “Especially for those of us at the bottom who have to put up with hunger. When I finally actually see the two tins of sardines that they promised us over-65’s, then I’ll believe it”, Alfredo adds.
“The basic food items hardly last a week, so what happens then?”
The pensioner refers to the new free food batch which the government has promised for the vulnerable – the elderly, pregnant women, under-weight people – who, apart from receiving sardines will get rice and peas. “They’re laughing in our faces, because actually most of the population are ’vulnerable’. The basic ration hardly lasts you a week, so what happens then?”, he says. In his opinion, these freebies only go to turn the distributors, warehouses, and others charged with delivery, automatically into retailers, making money on the back of everyone’s current misery.
The empty shelves are confirmation that any “glory” only exists in the actual name of the street – Calle Gloria – in which the shop sits, because the place itself is practically in ruins. “The shelving is full of termites and the roof leaks whenever it rains, but no one in power seems to care anything about the decline that’s happening everywhere”, says Xiomara, who hears that her son’s yoghurt will arrive after 2pm.
“The other problem is that there’s no guarantee about the quality or the stability of the foodstuffs. We’re still waiting for the July, August and September salt supplies. They tell us that they won’t remove that like they did with the cooking oil, eggs and coffee. The administration of this nation has no respect for its people, but tells us we live in a socialist country. And the worst thing is that as they keep crushing us with shortages of every possible kind we keep on playing their game of keeping our mouths shut”, the Cienfuegera adds.
On the store’s counter, sits a filthy box with a QR code, the only evidence of banking activity in the place. “They can’t provide a petty cash service, because, as there are no products to sell, they don’t actually have any cash. And until recently, there were difficulties with the automated system so they didn’t accept payment by bank transfer either”, says Xiomara.
“It won’t be long before the ration books disappear. We shan’t miss them too much because they’re already impractical”, says Alfredo, expressing a fear that is becoming more and more common in Cuba.
Translated by Ricardo Recluso for Translating Cuba.
Nan wrote: “Taking suitcases of Dollar Store crapola to Cuba and thinking it will change things is naive.”
Nan, what is “ Dollar Store crapola” to you is a treasure to some poor Cuban kid who has never had a set of crayons and a colouring book. Now, will that “ crapola” make significant change in the general Cuban economic misery? No.
However, that gift will certainly brighten a Cuban kid’s demeanour. Extrapolate all that “ Dollar Store crapola” gifts to Cuban deprived children and yes positive psychological improvements can happen. Naivety may be in your mind. Try going to Cuba with a few gifts for children and watch how their demeanour immediately improves.
When people quit traveling to Cuba and quit supporting the Cuban government with their tourist dollars, maybe we will see change in the status quo. Taking suitcases of Dollar Store crapola to Cuba and thinking it will change things is naive. It might make you feel better but it does little to help the Cuban people. Quit supporting the Cuban government and travel elsewhere.
The military are taking item that are being shipped to ports by companies that export to Cuba and by co ops and non profit group just trying to recover most of the costs of the items being shipped. So most groups have just stopped all shipments since June as with the current price control s . There is no chance to even recover the costs of the items and with lack of electricity and fuel it is not a good idea to ship anything like frozen chicken that will require to be kept frozen
They need tourists more than ever. Visit, bring a suitcase full of stuff to give away. Hand out money to people if you can afford to. Bring them things they can’t buy or find, toothpaste, deodorant, soap, bandages, feminine hygiene products, whatever you can spare. Tourists can’t fix the problem but you can help a few people. If each visitor could help five people, that would be a start. I do hope the people get a government that will actually change things for the good.
It’s so very sad what the very rich Cuban government comrads are doing to the poor people of Cuba. Many children go to bed hungry as their parents has no jobs or, are being paid with a useless card. How cruel, heartless and inhumane are these people in power. We used to buy at supermarket 23 and have families share with others. Now for the past month, supermarket 23 has no chicken. Now we have not sent a delivery in 6 weeks. We worry about the children that depends on the food we sent. We called the office in Miami several times and are being told the same story. We can’t source chicken. The rest of their meats are above our budget. So the Cuban people suffers more.
Wrong attitude, fill one suitcase with non-perishable packets of food from our dollar store, as my daughter’s family did recently. Also stop disrespecting your Cuban servers by overflowing your plates and leaving it, they have to dump it! Take zip-lock bags, make sandwiches for later, then give them awa when you go walking. Be careful giving employees anything while working, they are searched. One server we met put leftover cheese in her sweater pocket, she was fired. Take zip-lock bags and give to Cubans when you go for walks. Also buy in the tourist shops, even a chocolate bar is appreciated. Tip money used to be good but now there’s nothing they can buy in their ration stores.
I VISITED Cuba 15 times and cannot believe it’s government so so bad now leaving people die from hunger I will not return to Cuba until these problems are corrected
I believe that all the good food goes to resorts. China has found its way into Cuba by putting up Funds for Hotels A Little Piece of Paradise (BS) for foreigners to enjoy It’s Sad and disgusting All the Paradise Loves sitting at the Pool need to take a road trip in Cuba and see the Poverty that exists It’s sad.
This is so sad And why we won’t go to Cuba right now, when there own people are starving and tourist going to resorts it isn’t right taking food that the locals could be having. Sad for all the people in Cuba l truly wish things will change for them
This is inhumane.