This Tuesday, hundreds of residents in Santiago de Cuba were seen lining up at various locations across the city to buy a pound of chicken, as documented in a video by journalist Yosmany Mayeta. The footage shows a chaotic scene, with people shouting and waiting for hours under the harsh sun just to acquire a small portion of this staple food, which has become alarmingly scarce in the nation.
"Chicken arrived in the morning at numerous spots in the city, resulting in these extensive queues of a hungry population that relies more on products sold in MiPymes rather than those distributed through the rationed, and most restricted, basket in decades," Mayeta stated.
The reporter also mentioned a meeting held by the Provincial First Secretary of the Party, Beatriz Johnson, with her provincial directors from various sectors. "There was nothing new, only an acknowledgment of the long-standing issues, once again urging the people of Santiago to have 'hope and trust in the revolution,’ the same revolution that has been deceiving them since its inception," the journalist concluded.
Escalating Chicken Shortages in Cuba
The scarcity of chicken in Cuba has been a growing issue in recent years. Once one of the more accessible products in the Cuban market, chicken has almost vanished from the rationed sales and is increasingly difficult to find even in foreign currency markets. Early in September, it was reported that chicken imports from the United States dwindled between January and July of 2024, according to data released by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The USDA's figures encompass all chicken meat exports to Cuba intended for sale by all types of entities—state-run, cooperatives, and MiPymes. The recorded amount stood at 146,000 tons, approximately equivalent to 5,840 containers. While the volume was lower compared to the same period in 2023, the value was 2.5 percent higher, indicating a price increase, as detailed by economist Pedro Monreal.