Category: TRANSLATORS

 During this season, in which Cubans chase after potatoes and pay scandalous prices for them, customers notice not only their quantity but also their quality

The authorities insisted, despite the obvious losses, that in many parts of the province the national average for the potato harvest, which didn’t reach 10 tons per hectare (2.5 acres), was exceeded and even doubled.

With the tubers collected, “the potato has been guaranteed for the standard family basket of the province, seven markets in Havana and the Frutas Selectas Company,” in addition to the fact that, “since the beginning of the harvest, eight pounds of potatoes have been distributed to each person in the province,” celebrates the local newspaper.

During this season, in which Cubans chase after potatoes and pay scandalous prices for them, customers notice not only their quantity but also their quality. In the Cuban capital, for example, many complain that the tuber requires a lot of cooking time to soften properly. As confirmed this week by 14ymedio, the price of a pound of potatoes in the markets is 180 pesos.

Sought after by customers, merchants and informal sellers, the potato has also been the motive of several crimes on the Island. The most recent example: the theft of 1,293 pounds in the Havana municipality of Plaza de la Revolución last March. Destined for the 431 residents of the area, the potatoes disappeared after multiple “violations” that left a notable shortage.

The administrator of the market where the robbery occurred was arrested and taken to the Zapata and C station, according to the official website of the municipal government, which assured that the event would be investigated. After an inspection at the premises, “an adulterated weight” was found that served to give customers a lower quota than they were entitled to.

However, the figures offered by Sánchez García were higher than those published on the Council’s page and were taken up in a report by Tribuna de La Habana. According to the preliminary count, it said, 1,609 pounds of the tuber were missing, destined for 536 consumers.

Another article published in Tribuna weeks ago warned about the theft of potatoes from state refrigerators, “where the tubers selected for seed for later harvests or reserves that allow normal distribution are concentrated.” The note regretted that, with the disappearance of the Soviet Union – which was supplying the Island “throughout the year” – potatoes have gone from piling up “rotting in sacks in front of any food stall” to being a “strategic” food.

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Last Friday, the first secretary of the PCC in the province of Las Tunas, Manuel René Pérez Gallego, was also dismissed after 19 years in office. His place was occupied by Walter Simón Noris, who was a member of the PCC executive bureau in Camagüey.

At the beginning of April, the first secretary of Mantua, in Pinar del Río, Liusmara Rodríguez Soriano, was dismissed. A source told 14ymedio that this was a result of the official’s poor management in the territory.

Last Friday, the first secretary of the PCC in the province of Las Tunas, Manuel René Pérez Gallego, was also dismissed after 19 years in office

“He made a lot of mistakes. There have been more homes affected by floods and cyclones in recent years in the municipality. There are still people who have been asking for materials and help to repair their little house for ten years and more,” said the source from Pinar del Río. In addition, “he gave power to people who used cement and roofs as if this were a private farm.”

Last February, three ministers were dismissed, one of them – the former head of Economy and former deputy prime minister Alejandro Gil – who is under investigation for an alleged crime of corruption, as announced a month later.

Likewise, in recent weeks, the president of the National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP), a trade union organization in the orbit of the PCC, was also replaced.

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Two days ago, Rufina Velázquez shared a video where she explained that her brother had been informed that she could visit Velázquez Toranzo on April 19 and that, after the visit, she could offer more details about her father’s status.

After the arrest, the Catholic missionary was taken to the headquarters of State Security, Villa Marista, in Havana. As a sign of protest against the arbitrary decision, he went on a hunger strike which led to him to need medical attention and exacerbated his skin cancer.

The only thing they have told him is that they will release him, but only with a forced exile, that is, completely banished, without being able to return to Cuba

State Security said that the reason for the arrest, as Rufina Velázquez told Radio Martí, was “inciting the people and involving a minor.” “The only thing they have told him is that they will release him, but only with a forced exile, that is, completely banished, without being able to return to Cuba, and my father does not accept this condition,” the daughter stressed.

During the month of March, protests took place in several provinces to demand electricity, food and freedom. Prisoners Defenders (PD) counted 38 detainees up to the 25th of that month, most of them in Holguín (13) and Santiago de Cuba (12).

The report published by PD every month, pointed out that up to February there were 1,066 political prisoners in Cuba. The document
says that of the total number of detainees, 33 are minors and of them, 29 are serving sentences “for sedition.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

He said that the Cuban State “paid for this unique operation for all stranded Cubans who voluntarily took this alternative” on six flights to Camagüey and Santiago de Cuba since last Friday.

He also stated that because Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport has been closed, it was not possible to guarantee repatriation by that route.

Therefore, the embassy “coordinated the voluntary departure of Cuban citizens by land to the city of Cape Haitiano,” from where they returned.

In addition to the Cubans who had traveled to Haiti to buy items that are scarce in their country and resell them on their return, several thousand Cubans and 53 Cuban health professionals on a medical mission reside in Haiti.

One of them celebrated the operation on the Foreign Ministry’s website but also remembered those who remain there. “Excellent mission, but there are still more than 200 Cubans living in Haiti. It is worth noting that these flights were planned by Sunrise Airlines for passengers who had tickets to Cuba before and after the date of the closure of the Toussaint Louverture international airport in the Haitian capital,” he said.

“Excellent mission; there are still more than 200 Cubans living in Haiti

The new episode of violence in Haiti broke out at the end of February after the escape of 3,000 prisoners from two prisons in Port-au-Prince, including gang leaders who regained control of their territories.

Since then, the governments of different countries have proceeded to evacuate their citizens by different means, while Cubans have had to wait more than 50 days, desperate due to the lack of money.

At the beginning of April, several of them published a video on social networks in which they urged the Island’s authorities to take more forceful measures to rescue them. “All countries have already taken their citizens out of here. We are the only ones left,” they claimed.

The Haitian Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, resigned shortly thereafter, and a nine-member transitional presidential council must now seek a replacement.

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

“Review the statistics and check on the ground that they are true, because the people can’t eat statistics,” Tapia Fonseca said

“Review the statistics and check on the ground that they are true, because the people can’t eat statistics,” said Tapia Fonseca, “with his usual eloquence,” adds Invasor. The numbers are, in fact, serious. The newspaper itself regretted in March that the livestock of Ciego de Ávila has decreased in the last 12 years by more than 5,100 animals each year, and that it has just 12,300 liters (3,249 gallons) of milk a day, half of what it should offer.

Marrero combined voluntarism* and scolding in each of the meetings, especially during those he held with the agricultural and industrial sector, which fail to “shake off the damage of decades.”

He verified, inspecting the situation of the sugar harvest, that the Ecuador sugar mill is “unstable” and that the Ciro Redondo – on which the hopes for the harvest depended- is “a giant with feet of clay, unable to function because the synchronization with the surrounding bioelectric plant has not been made effective.”

Chapman, who moved away from the entourage to inspect the municipality of Florencia, was not optimistic in his evaluation either: not only the drought, but also the terrible management of Water Resources in the province, have caused a critical water shortage. The main reservoir of the municipality only has 7 million cubic meters of water, when it should have 30 million. The local managers defended themselves: they have broken pipes and no pumping equipment.

In addition, they said , the little fuel available to Hydraulic Resources is spent on moving the tanker trucks that distribute water to the 6,500 residents in Florence who “officially” lack it.

The only discreet success of the municipality is its canning factory, which fulfilled its plan of 500 tons of tomato puree

The only discreet success of the municipality is its canning factory, which fulfilled its plan of 500 tons of tomato puree in the first quarter of the year. However, it is not known what happened to the product, because they were “hit” with the lack of packaging to market it.

For his part, the Minister of Public Health, José Ángel Portal Miranda, visited the psychiatric hospital of Ciego de Ávila. The “problems” were multiple. They do not have nurses or custodians; it has not been repaired in more than 20 years and lacks medicines, its managers admitted to the official. “By not having all the medicines we need, it is difficult to get patients to improve, and that is why admission times have increased,” said one of the doctors.

Even more alarming is the situation of the patients: seven malnourished and 10 “with a weight less than recommended.” The lack of food has become one of the “triggering factors of psychosis.” Upon leaving the medical center, an 85-year-old man approached the minister, the newspaper says, and described a litany of ailments with no apparent solution.

The conclusion of Portal Miranda, quoted by Invasor, is not good news for the sick: “Althout the intention is to reinsert them into their family as soon as possible, some will be admitted here for a long stay.”

* Translator’s note: In other words, it’s the responsibility of the provincial leaders, rather than the State, to solve problems.

Translated by Regina Anavy

_______________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

“In the distribution of materials, Liusmara privileged his people, gave power to people who used cement and roofs as if this were a private farm. There was a lot of discomfort and strong rumors of the diversion of resources destined for those affected,” he added, so his dismissal could be a consequence of that “dubious management.”

In recent months there has been an unusual number of changes in political figures in Cuba

In recent months there has been an unusual number of changes in political figures in Cuba, both within the party and in several ministries, although the regime assures that this is “standard” operating procedure for updating positions.

In February alone, three ministers were dismissed, and one of them -the prime minister of Economy, Alejandro Gil – is under investigation for an alleged crime of corruption, as announced a month later.

Likewise, in recent weeks, the president of the National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP), a trade union organization in the orbit of the PCC, was also replaced.

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

 The measure had been promoted by MEP Javier Nart after the resolution adopted by the European Parliament

This week, agencies such as EFE and other press media reported – citing “sources of the institution” – that the European Parliament banned members of the Cuban Parliament from entering its facilities on March 14 as part of several “temporary reciprocity measures with respect to the members of the Cuban Assembly, while members of the European Parliament are prohibited from visiting Cuba.”

The measure had been promoted by MEP Javier Nart after the resolution adopted by the European Parliament on February 29, 2024 against the systematic violation of human rights by Cuban regime.

Larrondo explains that PD was extremely careful with the publication of the announcement, since it was “vital” that nothing failed in its dissemination. It also regrets that the independent press – including several Cuban media – published the agencies’ information without verifying it.

“With the issue of Cuba, many people want to downplay what happens. In Europe, access has been prohibited to all representatives of the Cuban Government and the Cuban regime, with these words, and this is for an indefinite period of time. It is conditioned on their respect for European parliamentarians and has nothing to do with what a person from the European Parliament conveyed to the agencies and media, who has misrepresented the information and caused confusion,” summarizes Larrondo.

Cited by PD, the minutes of the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament recalled that the Cuban regime denied the entry of “certain deputies” to the Island between December 14 and 17, 2023, a veto that was ratified by the Ambassador of Cuba before the European Parliament.

On February 29 of this year, the body approved a resolution on the “critical situation” in the country – including the prohibition of representatives of the regime from entering the European Parliament – and facilitated an “exchange of views” between several European parliamentary groups. After that meeting, attention was drawn to “the need for a coherent approach when third countries hinder the access of official delegations of the European Parliament.”

 The group of European deputies who were going to visit the Island in December 2023 was chaired by Nart

The group of European deputies who were going to visit the Island in December 2023 was chaired by Nart. The program to be established by the Delegation was the usual one,” explains PD: “I meet the official institutions (President of the Republic of Cuba, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Justice, President of the National Assembly of the People’s Power of Cuba) as well as with the people and institutions that fight for democratic freedoms (Sakharov awards, relatives of detainees of the 11J, representatives of the main religious organizations, journalists). This is a work program based on democracy, transparency and freedom.”

However, the regime canceled the visit and sent a letter that the European Parliament described as “unacceptable.” In November 2023, European parliamentarians stressed, several Cuban deputies – among them the secretary of the Assembly, Homero Acosta – visited the organization’s facilities and received “respectful treatment and a warm welcome.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

The U.S. delegation was also interested, says the official, in the security of Washington diplomats in the Cuban capital

The U.S. delegation was also interested, says the official, in the security of Washington’s diplomats in the Cuban capital. “Establishing and increasing channels of police cooperation to better address transnational threats is not at the expense of promoting respect for human rights,” he concluded.

In a press release about the talks, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Deputy Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío was in charge of presiding over the Island’s delegation and talking with Eric Jacobstein, Deputy Undersecretary of State in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs of the United States.

According to Fernández de Cossío, the meeting served to “review the state of compliance with the bilateral Migration Agreements” and for Cuba to express “its concern about the policies and measures to stimulate irregular migration that remain in force by political decision of the U.S. Government.”

Along with the ’blockade’*, Fernández de Cossío was tasked with discussing with Washington the “permanence of the country on the so-called List of State Sponsors of Terrorism,” in addition to the “preferential treatment” that, in the opinion of the Foreign Ministry, is given to the many Cubans who “illegally” enter the United States.

Despite the disagreements expressed by the Cuban side, the truth is that the mechanism of deportation of rafters caught on the high seas is well greased. The continuous reports of the U.S. Coast Guard, which publishes not only the number of migrants it arrests but also photos of the precarious boats with which they flee the Island, attest that the Joe Biden Administration is completely engaged in the fulfillment of its dealings with Havana.

So far in April, according to the Border Patrol, 47 rafters whose return is imminent have been intercepted. Local authorities, such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, are also in tune with Havana in that sense: “We do not tolerate illegal immigration, much less anarchy at the hands of illegal foreigners.”

Cubans, for their part, have become accustomed to the notifications of deportation that are often published by the official press, which always contain deterrent warnings for those who plan to jump into the sea.

Cubans, on the other hand, have become accustomed to the notifications of deportation that are often published by the official press

On a personal level, for the frustrated rafters, the failure of their entry into the United States and their deportation represent a mark on their record with the Cuban Police, who do not lose track of them on their return. Photographs published by the official press and international agencies show how the process unfolds.

Dressed in white jumpsuits, flip-flops and wearing masks, they are received in the port – often that of Orozco, in Artemisa – by a group of soldiers, doctors and agents of the State Security. The “module” of clothes, which the United States delivers to them before returning to the Island, is the only thing they wear when they arrive at the Immigration office of Factor and Final, in Nuevo Vedado, Havana, where they are processed.

Usually they leave the facilities without money, and they appeal to the residents in the vicinity to be able to return to their homes or, if they do not have one, to the home of a family member. Factor and Final, an office previously open to the public for immigration procedures, is now the return door for the deportees. There, after closing the narrow alley to avoid curious glances, the rafters arrive in buses and with police escort.

*Translator’s note: There is, in fact, no US ‘blockade’ on Cuba, but this continues to be the term the Cuban government prefers to apply to the US embargo. Originally imposed in 1962, the embargo, although modified from time to time, is still in force.

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

This Wednesday, Cuba overtook the Dominicans 2-1 and got its World Cup ticket, but it still has to play this Thursday to pass to the final against Costa Rica. The official media Jit highlighted the return of the Island to the World Cup, an event for which it had not qualified since Colombia 2016. Previously Cuba took part in Brazil 2018, China, Taipei 2004, Guatemala 2000 and Spain 1996.

With the escape of Lázaro Castro, there are now four dropouts recorded this year. Last February, the gold medalist at the Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador, Osmany Diversent, escaped before his participation in the Pan American Olympic Qualifying tournament.

The digital creator Roly Dámaso, who closely followed the incidents of the competition, also reported the escape of Susana Martínez and Santiago Hernández “Santiaguito”at the beginning of February. Martínez traveled to Mexico to support the training of Yusneylis Guzmán (in the 50 kg category), Laura Herin (53 kg), Ángela Álvarez (57 kg), María Santana (62 kg) and Brenda Sterling (68 kg).

Meanwhile, Hernández did not even wait for his luggage and went out into the street, leaving the Island without the possibility of qualifying in the 57-kg category at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024.

Dámaso attributed the escapes to the fact that “young people are tired of so much socialism and the promises that never arrived.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

The defeat, according to the Swing Completo portal, made the Island team face the “reality” that “it is no longer a favorite against the other teams in the area”

A fan identified as Juan Carlos agreed with the journalist that a renewal of the national team is urgently needed. Young people, who are usually the main competitors, have been moving away from a sport that has been forgotten by Cuban managers. “The headquarters in Ciego de Ávila is not ideal.”

The defeat, according to the Swing Completo portal, made the Island team face the “reality” that “it is no longer a favorite against the other teams in the area.” For Ibargüen Shue, all that remains is to “prepare for the new Olympic cycle.”

For its part, the Cuban official media Jit only highlighted the performance of Alain Román, from Ciego de Ávila, who opened the eight games of Cuba in the qualifying phase and achieved four victories. In addition, the national representative won fifth place in the last world contest held in Auckland, New Zealand (2022).

The best result on the Island was recorded in 1988, when it obtained fourth place in Saskatoon, Canada.

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

At the end of last month, the legal entry of 404,000 Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan migrants was recorded through the parole program

The agency also reported that so far, more than 547,000 migrants have successfully scheduled asylum appointments on the southern border through the CBP One application. Of these, 44,100 applicants were processed at points of entry last month.

Similarly, in their report, U.S. authorities reported irregular entries of 19,000 migrants last March. Of these, 13,411 came across the southern border; 5,323 entered through Florida (Miami Sector and Miami Field Office), which includes an unspecified number of arrivals by sea. In addition, 631 arrived in Tampa, which reported 4,241 cases in the fiscal year that began in October 2023.

The U.S. Government also reported in the same month the admission of 110 unaccompanied minors, totaling 791 in five months. Last year there were 1,395, a record number.

The information comes after the controversy that arose over denials of humanitarian parole, which Cubans, Venezuelans, Nicaraguans and Haitians have denounced this month. A spokesman for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service told Martí Noticias that due to “a technical change to inform applicants more quickly if they are eligible, a large volume of non-confirmation notices were sent.” This is being improved.

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

 The Ali Administration explained that it is a “motor boat” that will be connected to the national network, chartered for two years to Karpowership

Although the Guyanese Minister of Public Works, Deodat Indar, said that the patana would leave Cuba, the announcement leaves several unknowns. First of all, the capacity of none of the power plants that the Island has installed coincides with that planned by Guyana (36 MW). For example, the Erol Bey (63 MW), the Suheyla Sultan (240 MW) and the Belgin Sultan (15 MW) are anchored in Havana. This Wednesday, 14ymedio verified that they are all in their respective enclaves. The constant monitoring by this newspaper of the ships that reach port in Havana Bay has not revealed that a new patana has arrived in Cuban waters.

However, the tug and fire boat Karadeniz One, which also belongs to Karpowership – and which has moved several of the Turkish power plants that Cuba rented – has been anchored in Havana Bay since the beginning of April. This could indicate that this is the ship that will transport the supposed patana. However, according to this newspaper, on Wednesday the Karadeniz One was still in Cuban waters.

A week ago, the Guyanese vice president, Bharrat Jagdeo, also revealed the price that his country will pay for the patana, for which Guyana will also supply the fuel for electricity generation. “There is a charge for capacity and a charge for operation and maintenance. Combined, that’s less than eight cents (dollar) per kWh (kilowatt per hour),” said the official, who did not offer the total figure. The data give an idea of what Cuba could be paying for each of these ships.

“We couldn’t produce there because the main transmission pipe can only send power to Georgetown”

As explained by the Ali Administration, the Turkish power plant will be installed on the Berbice River, which flows into the Atlantic, since Georgetown, the capital, cannot handle the wattage of the power plant. This problem dissuaded the Government from hiring a 70 MW floating power plant, as they had initially planned.

“We couldn’t produce there because the main transmission pipe can only send power to Georgetown. That’s why we’re thinking of taking the patana to the Berbice River at Everton. That way, we could send the energy (to the national network). We had to look at the river, the depth, the connection to the existing network, what has been done and the type of fuel (to be used),” Jagdeo said.

Faced with the local media’s doubt as to whether the hiring of the patana is “viable,” the Guyanese president, for his part, defended the deal with the Turkish company and blamed the previous administration for stopping the construction of the Amalia Falls hydroelectric plant (projected at 900 million dollars) for being expensive and defective. “We would have had 165 megawatts available from Amaila Falls to boost the energy we need now,” the president said.

For 2025, when the contract with Karpowership begins, the state GPL has planned the completion of a $2 billion project to convert gas into energy, which is estimated to deliver about 300 MW to the country. At the moment, the company has placed all of its hopes on the chartered patana to supply part of the electricity that two broken engines in its facilities, according to the local press, have left uncovered. According to the media I News Guyana, GPL generates about 165 MW of energy, 15 MW below the current maximum demand for electricity of 180 MW.

Cuba has not lost its footing in the energy situation in Guyana, which is in the middle of a dispute with Venezuela, another energy ally of the Cuban regime

The Government has also attributed the increase in blackouts to the entry of 2,000 new customers to GPL since 2020; to the rise in temperatures – which cause a more frequent use of air conditioners; and to the increase in hotel facilities in the country, which is undergoing a spectacular economic boom after the discovery of important oil fields.

Cuba has not lost its footing in the energy situation in Guyana, which is in the middle of a dispute with Venezuela, another energy ally of the Cuban regime, over the Esequibo oil region. Given the exports of Venezuelan crude oil to Havana – which have fallen by 39% in recent months despite the fact that Caracas has increased its exports – it is possible that the Island is looking for another supplier in the region.

The proposal to build a refinery for 2027 in Guyana, which is estimated to produce 1.2 million barrels per day, could be one of the reasons that Havana is tempted to do more and more business with Georgetown.

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

Some 91% of state entities and 74% of the “forms of non-state management” maintained accounting activity in their accounts

Among them, she cited the resistance on the part of suppliers of goods and services to execute collections through electronic payment channels, inadequate organizational and control measures by regulatory entities and economic actors who do not regularly deposit or use their personal bank accounts for the economic activity of their businesses.

In August 2023, the BCC approved several provisions to promote bancarización in the face of the shortage of banknotes in the country. Among them, cash withdrawals were limited, and all economic actors were forced to offer an electronic means of payment to customers, which in turn would result in greater control of operations and reduction of fraud.

The resistance of the population is verified in the operations quantified by the BCC at Saturday’s meeting, to which the uncontrollable – and very high – amount of those produced in the informal market should be added, which would drastically reduce the official data.

The meeting was also a review of all the initiatives that the entity should have to boost the economy and “correct the distortions,” but according to the official press, there is no concrete measure.

The meeting was also a review of all the initiatives that the entity should have to boost the economy and “correct distortions”

Marrero indicated that “additional incentives should be sought to stimulate cash deposits in the country’s banks, improve the quality and provision of services, ensure the mechanisms for the collection of foreign exchange, seek external financing and increase the appreciation of risks in the face of cyber attacks.”

It remains to be known how the BCC plans to put the plan into practice, although a reader of Cubadebate says citizens could regain confidence in the system. “Start by establishing, and I’m not saying ’recover’, RELIABILITY in the banking system. Remove RIGHT NOW the limitations to the amount of money that can be deposited and the unnecessary tax on deposits; and the limits on the monthly amount of money that can be transferred and the amount of money that can be withdrawn… All that and more has upset the customers. And the money will flow towards the banks, which is what they were invented centuries ago.”

Start by establishing, and I’m not saying ’recover’, RELIABILITY in the banking system. Remove RIGHT NOW the limitations on the amount of money that can be deposited and the unnecessary tax on deposits

Juana Lilia Delgado Portal, minister president of the entity, also exposed a list of wishes to be fulfilled in 2024, among which the priority seems to be looking for projects that increase income abroad to capture foreign currency, as well as “implementing a new mechanism for the allocation and management of liquidity.” Nothing about this is clear either.

Another priority is the recovery of remittances, which have plummeted in recent years in a scandalous way. Last year, emigrants sent just under 1.973 billion dollars to the Island, 46% less than in 2019, when 3.716 billion were captured, according to the NGO Cuba Siglo 21.

In 2020, Donald Trump’s Administration made the decision to sanction the entities that negotiated with Fincimex, the Cuban military bank. As a result, the main remittance shipping company, Western Union, decided to suspend services to the Island until the regime found a way to circumvent sanctions in the Orbit company. Although money is circulating again – with difficulties, such as the suspension in 2024 for an alleged hack of Fincimex – the volumes are no longer the same, and there are many Cubans who resort to unofficial channels, such as Zelle, to send money.

In many countries, the Central Bank is the key institution of macroeconomic policy. This is not the case in Cuba. The BCC will “accommodate” – with unbacked liquidity – the level of fiscal deficit ordered”

The BCC also mentioned its priority of “resizing the foreign exchange market,” a task entrusted to it by the leadership at the end of the year, but, as economist Pedro Monreal has pointed out on several occasions, the entity lacks independence and does not use the most “powerful” mechanism that analogous institutions usually use, such as the interest rate.

“In many countries, the Central Bank is the key institution of macroeconomic policy. This is not the case in Cuba. The BCC will “accommodate” – with unsupported liquidity – the level of fiscal deficit ordered,” he said this February.

*Translator’s note: Bancarización is a term used in Cuba and other Latin American countries referring to reforming the banking system. All economic transactions will be made by debit card, including cash withdrawals and the payment of salaries. The term does not have a counterpart in English so the Spanish term is used throughout this translation.   

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.

“There are indisciplines that are becoming habits. It makes me mad, and we have to be more strict about ordering, organizing, controlling and disciplining. We have to reach everyone,” he scolded, after hearing Deputy Prime Minister Jorge Luis Tapia Foncesa say that the demand for food is not covered due to the low level of contracts with the farmers.

“One of the causes is the lack of demand, of control, the preparation of the cadres and the lack of systems. Today the production rate for contracts is only 60% for the farmers who are hired. To that must be added the quality of that process,” he said, ignoring the insistent claims of the farmers, who complain not only about the low prices offered by the State but also the high levels of non-payment and the legal consequences – penalties – in case of not being able to comply with the agreements, something frequent due to lack of raw materials, fuels, fertilizers and even thefts.

At the end of the first quarter, all the provinces were “in decline” in the Housing program

Apart from this, the only data that surfaced this Tuesday was the negligible fulfillment of the housing program in which, at the end of the first quarter, all the provinces were “in decline.” According to the general director of the area, Dilaila Díaz Fernández, the plan to recover the housing deficit in 10 years has not progressed. The loss of housing capacity continues, and the construction of basic units has not been completed for three months. The proposal to use the native red clay for building has not been adopted, and reviving the production of marble for export was also planned.

The official also regretted that “the social and State microbrigades have not been activated as the main housing construction force,” a proposal by Ramiro Valdés just a year ago. Yesterday an angry Valdés Mesa urged the recovery of the movement created by Castro in 1971 and in force until the ’90s, based on the idea that homeless workers build their own houses.

As for the economy, which worries citizens so much, little could be known. Manuel Marrero said that there is “dispersion in the way the measures are being implemented” and that it is necessary to be more dynamic and hardcore. “We are lacking a strong hand in many places; we need to take exemplary measures in defense of our people,” he warned. It can be assumed that he was talking about corruption and the diversion of products.

The issues addressed were a priority for Cubans, from food production, to the “resizing” – euphemism for reducing – the State sector and the future Business Law and electronic payment systems, among others, but the explanations were, once again, null. “We are updating the action plan from the content, structure, program … to guarantee the active participation in its construction by the organizations, the Osde (Higher Organizations of Business Management) and the territorial governments, because no projection is alien to the functions and missions that we fulfill from our institutions,” said Mildrey Granadillo de la Torre, Deputy Minister of Economy and Planning, speaking without saying anything.

“We are missing a strong hand in many places; we need to take exemplary measures in defense of our people”

Marrero added that the problems detected must be identified and classified to see who can solve them, and he took advantage of the moment to divert responsibility to the smaller administrations: “The work of this structure, although I do not generalize it, in a large percentage is insufficient, very weak, because they are not taking advantage of all the powers that a Board of Directors has,” he said, specifically referring to the “battle against prices.”

He followed this by criticizing the provinces, in his opinion better attended to by the Government than by local leaders. “They are not getting into the communities, they do not meet with the people, there is inattention to the communities in many places, and this is experienced by several of the national leaders who visit a place, a community, and people take the opportunity to transfer the countless dissatisfactions they have, because they do not always find that space.”

In the meeting they also apparently talked about the reduction of the fiscal deficit, the development of the country’s business system and the integration of all economic actors, especially the private enterprises. Also about the advance of the maternal and child program and illegal mining. What was said? At the moment, it’s a mystery.

Translated by Regina Anavy

____________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.