The Cuban Fishing Enterprise Group has revealed multiple challenges preventing them from providing sufficient fish to the population. During a recent official Mesa Redonda program, Armando Posada Lóriga, the group's president, and other fishing sector executives outlined the main difficulties facing the industry.
Key Issues Affecting Fish Supply
Several factors were identified as contributing to the shortage:
Resource Deficit: The group faces a significant external liquidity deficit, hindering the acquisition of raw materials and necessary equipment for fishing and processing fish products.
Energy Problems: A lack of fuel and electricity disrupts fishing operations and the functioning of industries, thereby limiting fish capture and production.
Inadequate Vessels and Equipment: The deterioration and shortage of suitable vessels, along with outdated industrial equipment, reduce the capacity for fish capture and production.
Prioritization of Other Sectors: While 71% of industrial production is allocated to the population, 15% is directed towards tourism, and a significant portion is exported to generate external revenue, which decreases the availability of fish for local consumption.
Illegal Fishing and Violations: Illegal fishing activities negatively impact regulated production and organized distribution of fish products.
The fishing sector in Cuba, much like housing construction, sugar production, agriculture, and other industries, fails to meet its production targets. As of the end of August, the Fishing Enterprise Group achieved only 53% of its capture plan and 67% of its industrial production plan, both falling short of expectations. Although there was a halt in the decline of aquaculture and shrimp farming, overall targets were not met.
Ironically, export plans, particularly for lobsters and shrimp, are being met. Exports are currently above 95% for the year, generating increased revenue compared to the previous year. However, these successes do not translate into improved productivity for the local market, resulting in empty fish markets for the citizens.
In 2023, the government stated that "Cuba is a country surrounded by sea, but the waters do not have the levels of fish needed to meet the population's demand." Manuel Sobrino Martínez, then Minister of the Food Industry, attributed the fish shortage to over 60 idle boats. Although he was dismissed in early 2024, his explanation for why many Cubans have never tasted lobster remains memorable. "If we indulge in eating lobster and shrimp, there will be no milk for the children," Sobrino remarked on the Mesa Redonda program in 2020. Despite lobsters and shrimp being absent from local markets since 1960, milk remains one of the scarcest and most expensive products in Cuba.