Month: June 2025

the Restoration of Diplomatic Relations signed between Havana and Washington.

A statement from the Foreign Ministry stated that the conversation was “emphatic” and that Hammer was accused of “inciting Cuban citizens to commit serious criminal acts, attacking the constitutional order or encouraging them to act against the authorities, and demonstrating in support of the interests and objectives of a hostile foreign power.”

García del Toro told the US representative that he could not use diplomatic immunity “as cover for acts contrary to the sovereignty and internal order of the country” and could not sustain “provocative and irresponsible behavior.”

He also criticized Hammer’s allusions to José Martí, which the Foreign Ministry considers a sign of “public and insulting manipulation.” In a video of his visit to the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery in Santiago de Cuba on May 19—the anniversary of the hero’s death in combat—the diplomat referred to Martí as “the Apostle of the homeland.”

Hammer quoted a phrase that the regime finds problematic: “Respect for the freedom and thoughts of others, even those among the most unhappy, is in me fanaticism. If I die or am killed, it will be for that.” The verbal note asserts that the diplomat is unaware, in quoting this thought, of Martí’s “anti-imperialism” and emphasized—with arguments valid in the 19th century, but in no way applicable to the current situation—that the US is a “danger” to the island.

As a kind of symbolic counterattack, García del Toro gave Hammer a copy of Martí’s unfinished letter to Manuel Mercado, cited countless times to justify Fidel Castro’s hostile stance toward Washington.

Since his arrival in Cuba, Hammer has been a stone in the shoe of the Foreign Ministry.

Since his arrival in Cuba, Hammer has been a a stone in the shoe of the Foreign Ministry. Untouchable due to his position, affable in his dealings with the country’s inhabitants—opponents, but also entrepreneurs and all kinds of Cubans—and accurate in his assessments of the crisis on the island, the diplomat’s popularity on the streets is directly proportional to the regime’s animosity.

Last week, Hammer held a press conference in Miami in which he made clear the US position on Cuba and, furthermore, his willingness to support the Cuban people. One of his statements that most resonated in Havana was this: “The Administration is determined to sanction the repressors. There will be consequences for their actions, and I cannot anticipate further measures that will come, but they will come, I can assure you of that.”

Knowing that State Security is following him wherever he goes, he took the situation with humor. “Obviously there’s a lot of traffic; you see Ladas everywhere. If we turn right, they turn right. I don’t like going left, but hey, if we go left, they go with us. They’re constantly filming me.”

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The shortage of basic supplies and foodstuffs, practically exclusive to dollar stores and with prohibitive prices, has led nearly 72% of those surveyed to change their diet and the recipes they usually prepare. Nearly the same number, 71.2%, report having suffered dietary problems due to power outages in the last three months.

With respect to the water supply, 38.9% say they have intermittent access to drinking water, 34% say they have access to it every day, and 24.7% say they have access to it “rarely,” according to the third annual edition of this study. Water has been another of the major headaches for Cubans in recent years, a situation that has been worsening and, in recent weeks has reached critical levels, due in part to the drought and in part, to obsolete supply systems. The Zaza Dam, the largest in the country which supplies water to several central provinces, reported at the end of May that its levels were at a worrying 12%, a record for that month in recent years.

Some 42.2% of respondents said they spend all their income on food, followed by those who spend up to 80% of their income (36.7%), those who spend up to 50% (17.4%), and those who spend up to 30%, just 3.6% of the population.

The study, titled “There is Hunger in Cuba 2024” and involving 2,400 participants, reported that 60.9% of Cubans believe they have suffered a “considerable” loss of purchasing power, while 31.1% maintain that their income has been “somewhat limited.”

60.9% of Cubans believe they have suffered a “considerable” loss of purchasing power.

Regarding state-run grocery stores (bodegas), the most common in Cuba, 88.9% considered the selection to be “incomplete” or “deficient,” and 74.6% rated the quality of the products as “regular” or “terrible.”

This issue became a source of controversy this week, when residents of Ciego de Ávila complained about the size of the bread sold at the La Especial grocery store in the city. After an inspection, authorities found that the establishment was selling rolls weighing between 35 and 42 grams, half and two-thirds, respectively, of the 60 grams each unit should weigh.

Of those interviewed by Food Monitor, 84.9% also stated that the ration book supply “decreases in quantity and quality every year,” and 96.6% emphasized that this subsidized food supply system does not meet their needs. Respondents identified “poor state administration” (64.1%) and “hoarding/corruption” (26.2%) as the main causes of food shortages in Cuba. Only 8% cited “the US embargo” as the cause of the shortages.

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Trying to excuse La Especial, the director of the Food Industry, Ramón Arrizabalaga, explained that the production process at the bodega has faced problems in recent times due to constant power outages and low-quality flour, which could have influenced the bread’s weight.

In addition, he said that other irregularities were found, such as the fact that the “specialists designated to oversee the weight did not perform their duties as required,” and promised to “intensify” surveillance of the remaining 11 bakeries in the city, as well as those throughout the province, where a situation similar to that at La Especial could arise.

It’s not unusual for Cubans to demand that heads roll over bread, a scarce but “settled” food, especially when weight fluctuations have been a problem they’ve been dealing with for years. “The issue of bread weight is an old one, and we shouldn’t wait for people to report it before inspecting it, because that’s what they’re there for. Even when the flour is good, the bread doesn’t have the right weight, and everyone knows that. When it’s not inspected regularly, anything happens,” complained one user at the bottom of Invasor ’s Facebook post .

For a nominal price and despite its poor quality, the grocery store’s bread represents a significant relief for families who avoid paying for better, but more expensive, products. According to a price report published Wednesday by the National Statistics and Information Office, in Ciego de Ávila, a soft, 80-gram (2.8 ounces) bread, sold on a limited basis, can cost between 18 and 35 pesos.

The price doesn’t reach the 58 or 60 pesos that are paid for the same product in Havana and Santiago de Cuba, respectively, but it’s still prohibitive for Cubans.

The bakery industry is also in its most critical state in recent decades. Production, which experienced a 50% decline during the height of the Special Period and remained mediocre but upwardly mobile until 2012, is now even lower than it was in the 1990s.

In September 2024, the Food Industry was forced to announce a reduction in bread weight from the standard 80 grams to around 60, to ensure the product remained on sale despite the flour shortage.

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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.