Alberto López Díaz, Minister of the Food Industry (MINAL) in Cuba, emphasized that while the country possesses the necessary infrastructure and technology to produce food, a significant lack of raw materials hampers the regime's ability to ensure the standard rationed food basket. During his appearance on the state-run television program Mesa Redonda on Thursday, he made startling comments regarding the ongoing food shortages that plague the nation and the increasing food insecurity experienced by its citizens.
“At the National Assembly, we informed the public that we have the conditions, installed capacity, and strength fostered by the Revolution in every province. We possess food production industries capable of producing over a million tons domestically, but we lack the raw materials,” López Díaz stated.
By highlighting these issues, the MINAL minister shifted the responsibility to his counterpart at the Ministry of Agriculture (MINAGRI), Ydael Pérez Brito, attributing the sector's lack of productivity to the absence of raw materials for industrial processing. “If we had the raw materials, we could start processing,” López Díaz assured, deflecting blame for the shortage of processed foods to Pérez Brito, who in mid-October acknowledged a significant decline in protein production, poultry farming, and pig farming due to shortages of supplies, fuel scarcity, and adverse weather conditions.
The Blame Game Continues
According to the minister, Cuba currently boasts facilities across all provinces for the dairy industry, meat industry, fishing industry, and coffee industry, among others. “All these industries are spread throughout the country. We also have a strong workforce of over 100,000 committed workers who have a sense of belonging and expertise,” he added.
Back in October, during the same television segment, Pérez Brito outlined the challenges facing Cuban agriculture in 2024, acknowledging that the country has not exceeded 200,000 tons of food production. He admitted substantial losses in the pork program, egg production, and other areas. From producing four to five million eggs daily, his ministry now manages to deliver only 1.2 million, provided producers can feed the livestock they own.
“For instance, in the poultry program, four years ago, we had eight million chickens, including layers, breeders, and replacements. Today, we have only three million. We've reduced our chicken population by five million in four years,” Pérez Brito explained.
Leadership Changes Amidst Crisis
The MINAGRI minister's presentation set the stage for López Díaz, appointed in early February by President Miguel Díaz-Canel to lead MINAL following the ousting of Manuel Sobrino Martínez, known for his controversial remarks about "decrepit chickens" and "lobsters traded for milk for children." To avoid Sobrino Martínez's awkward explanations for food shortages, Díaz-Canel selected López Díaz, a 56-year-old former governor of Villa Clara, who shares the president's origins and ideological training.
Cubans, who have long witnessed the vanishing of products like eggs, meat, milk, and coffee from the standard rationed food basket, now have the government’s rationale for food scarcity. “Lack of raw materials,” states the MINAL minister, pointing to MINAGRI. “Blockade and lack of fuel and supplies,” responds the accused. And thus, the matter is explained, leaving Díaz-Canel's appointee content and Pérez Brito and López Díaz approved.
“The country has an infrastructure created, albeit in some cases outdated, with a shortage of spare parts… But in the current conditions we face, with raw materials, we can make progress,” declared the latest minister assigned by the leader of “continuity” to the Cuban Television to stretch the narrative and continue justifying the government's inept management.
Workers: The Nation's Greatest Asset
In July, López Díaz stated that there was no need to invest in new technologies or infrastructure to produce food because the sector's greatest strength lies in its experienced workforce. “In a wartime economy, we don't need to invest in new technologies and infrastructure; with what we have, we have enough capacity to reverse and transform the current situation,” he added.
Upon his appointment in February, López Díaz highlighted the shortage of "workforce" in the agricultural sector, attributing this issue to recent demographic trends in Cuba, alongside "the laziness and lack of willingness to work hard among able-bodied Cubans."
“We have no workforce! There is no workforce due to demographic issues, laziness, and because people refuse to work hard. And yet, we expect to have products at the market,” stated Díaz-Canel's new trusted man tasked with addressing the food crisis affecting Cubans.