Minister Óscar Pérez-Oliva claims that this aid was held up in Jamaica because of the United States.
14ymedio, Madrid, October 17, 2026 — In the midst of the worst economic crisis Cuba has experienced since 1959, with the country in darkness, empty shelves, and rampant inflation, the Government received two new food donations this Friday: 750 tons of vegetable oil sent by Russia and the first 425 tons of rice paid for by Japan, part of a food donation valued at one million dollars. Both shipments arrived through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
The sunflower oil is part of the WFP’s emergency reserves on the Island, according to state media reports. The shipment was funded by Russia’s Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergencies through a contribution of four million dollars for 2025–2026.
Russian Ambassador Víktor Koronelli presided over the handover alongside Cuban Foreign Trade Minister Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga and Domestic Trade Minister Betsy Díaz. Etienne Labande, the WFP representative in Cuba, was also present. According to the Russian Embassy’s statement, the oil will be distributed to children, the elderly, and pregnant women.
The Japanese aid consists of a one-million-dollar donation with which the WFP purchased grains, oil, rice, and other products for those affected by Hurricane Melissa. The supplies were received at the warehouses of the Provincial Food Company of Havana. Ambassador Nakamura Kazuhito explained that his country’s WFP Friends Association also participated in the donation.
The Japanese aid consists of a one-million-dollar donation with which the WFP purchased grains, oil, rice, and other products for those affected by Hurricane Melissa
Betsy Díaz stated that the rice will go to people affected by the disaster in the eastern provinces. Each package contains 1.5 kilograms of rice, 0.9 kilograms of grains, and one liter of oil. The remainder of the donation is still awaiting delivery.
At the event, Pérez-Oliva, deputy prime minister and head of Foreign Trade, claimed that the containers carrying the Japanese aid had been held up at the port of Kingston, Jamaica, because of U.S. pressure on international shipping companies. He presented this as part of the tightening of the “imperialist siege” against the Island. However, the Foreign Trade Minister himself, who is Fidel Castro’s great-nephew, recently stated that “the French shipping company CMA CGM resumed services to Cuba exclusively for food, medicines, and medical supplies.”
Pérez-Oliva did not provide details about how long the shipment was supposedly held up or explain why food intended for people affected by a hurricane in October 2025 is arriving a year later. Neither the official media nor the Russian Embassy specified when or how it would reach families, beyond referring to “vulnerable sectors.”
China delivered 80,000 bicycle parts, and the Bahamas donated nearly one ton of medicines to the healthcare system
The shipments coincide with other recent donations: China delivered 80,000 bicycle parts, and the Bahamas donated nearly one ton of medicines to the healthcare system.
In May, Washington offered 100 million dollars in direct humanitarian assistance, which Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez dismissed as a “fairy tale.” A first shipment of 18 tons of food and hygiene kits for 700 Havana families arrived later. Of these donations, 60 million dollars is being channeled through the Catholic Church and 40 million through other trusted nongovernmental organizations.
Unlike the donations from Moscow or Tokyo, the state-controlled media have barely mentioned this aid package. With domestic production lacking, the food supply for millions of Cubans increasingly depends on shipments donated by foreign governments and international organizations.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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