A Ship of Rice Arrives in Havana, its’ Origin Concealed
Cubans have not received rice through their ration books for months and are asking when imports became news.
HAVANA TIMES – The latest shipment of rice to arrive at the port of Havana is of unknown origin, but weighs a significant amount. Up to 19,000 tons, Canal Caribe announced in a report broadcast on the news this Saturday, while the Ministry of Domestic Trade estimated the amount of rice ready to be unloaded at 16,000 tons, along with 5,000 tons of rice powder for animal feed.
Editor’s Note: At last count normal annual rice consumption is Cuba was 700,000 tons, meaning the cargo of the ship now unloading is the equivalent of nearly 3% or around 10 days consumption if equally distributed.
The president of the Gemar group, with offices in Old Havana, explained that stevedores are working to unload 1,000 tons per day at the Andres Gonzalez Lines terminal, reaching 11,000 tons over a period of about ten days, if expectations are met. This cargo is destined for the provinces from Pinar del Río to Matanzas. Once the operation is completed, the ship will head to Cienfuegos, where it will drop off the remaining cargo for delivery to other territories, including the Isle of Youth.
Meanwhile, the report says, in the eastern provinces, work is underway in the same endeavor with another vessel, about which nothing has been specified. It will supposedly supply the ration system of the province of Holguin and a load will also go to the port of Níquero (in Granma) and the transport of goods to Baracoa, Guantanamo.
The video emphasizes that, once the product is distributed, it will be sent to the various bodega sales points, and that there is coordination between all the provinces to ensure this happens. “This is one of the links in the port-transport-internal economy chain. Its priority is food imports purchased by the Cuban government and donations from friendly countries that reach the nation,” a voiceover states.
“The truth is, we’ve sunk so low. Simplistic news like this has been turned into achievements of the Revolution. A disgrace. Maintaining a country based on donations is condemning the population to the greatest poverty,” one on-line commenter reacted. Although it hasn’t been stated whether this shipment was donated, some of the largest shipments received recently came from Vietnam and China, which have declared their donations and occasionally held ceremonies to receive the ship or product.
For this reason, most of the comments on various social media accounts regarding the news followed a similar line. “Misery as news is sad. This kind of news isn’t normal. This should be a normal part of everyday life, not something to highlight,” noted one commenter.
Among the reactions are dozens of comments asking when the product will arrive at the ration stores, as many provinces have accumulated delays of up to three months, while in small private businesses and markets, prices range between 180 and 280 pesos per pound.
Cuba harvested approximately 80,000 tons of rice in 2024, barely 11% of its consumption, which is why it has been forced to pay significant sums of money when the grain does not arrive as donations. Countries such as Uruguay, Canada, and Colombia sell grain to the island, although there have been many cases in which ships were left waiting for several days due to payment problems. According to authorities, rice imports are the largest expenditure of any food import, amounting to more than $300 million annually.
Translated by Translating Cuba.