BASSETERRE — Cuba’s economic crisis is worsening dramatically as state-run food stores stand nearly empty. Government rations that once sustained families for an entire month now barely cover the basics, leaving millions of Cubans struggling to meet their daily nutritional needs.
The ration book, introduced by Fidel Castro in the early 1960s, once provided a safety net that covered everything from milk and eggs to fish and soap. Today, nearly two dozen items listed in the original system are no longer available. Store shelves that were once laden with subsidized goods now contain little more than rice, sugar, and split chickpeas.
Cuba imports up to 80 percent of the food it consumes, but the government no longer possesses the financial resources to keep state stores adequately stocked. The crisis is being compounded by severe power outages, fuel shortages, and a U.S. energy blockade that further constrains the island’s ability to address the shortage.
Many Cubans earn between 8,000 and 12,000 Cuban pesos per month, equivalent to roughly $16 to $24 in U.S. currency. For the approximately 40 percent of the population without family members abroad sending remittances, survival has become a daily struggle. Economists warn the government faces no clear path to balancing its budget without implementing cuts that would have devastating social consequences.