English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
Among the shelves of the Frutas Selectas Food Stand in Holguín there are photographs of the revolutionaries Camilo Cienfuegos and Ernesto Che Guevara, as well as a large poster with the slogan of this State company: “Selected Fruits: the most select from the tropics.” What is missing is fruit for sale. Frutas Selectas is a … Continue reading “Cuba’s Slow Collapse, a Country that is Running out of Food”
14ymedio, December 4, 2020 — Economy and Planning Minister Alejandro Gil Fernandez appeared on Thursday’s “Roundtable” State TV program in an effort to calm the growing popular discontent over hard-currency stores. His words, however, had the opposite effect. The minister’s statements outraged many Cubans, who expressed disagreement on the streets and in social media. Most … Continue reading “Dollar Stores Subsidize Social Justice, Says Cuba’s Economy Minister”
14ymedio, Havana, 14 September 2020 — Yokes for oxen, horseshoes and wire for perimeter fences are some of the items for sale in the recently issued foreign currency sales catalog focused on the Cuban agricultural sector. The dollar has arrived in the fields but still in a limited way. The farmers can make purchases in … Continue reading “Machetes and Oxen Yokes are on Sale for Dollars but Tractors, Forget It”
14ymedio, Havana, 7 August 2020 – Cuba’s rigid control on permissible self-employment activities has been eased with the elimination of the list of 123 activities permitted to the private sector, a measure announced Thursday by the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Marta Elena Feitó, who affirmed that the current situation prevents Cubans from developing … Continue reading “Cornered by the Crisis, the Cuban Government Eliminates the List Limiting Self-Employment Activities”
14ymedio, Havana, June 11, 2020 — Products such as pork, eggs and beef, frozen chicken may be in short supply but chicken is one of the few animal proteins that finds its way to the island’s tables. This has led to the bird becoming the great national obsession. Cubans wait in line to buy it, … Continue reading “Chicken, Cuba’s National Obsession”
14ymedio, Havana, February 27, 2020 — Tourism to Cuba fell 19.6% in January compared to the same period last year according to official figures published by the Office of Statistics and Information. During the first month of the year 95,856 tourists visited the island, less than in the same month in 2019. The the decline … Continue reading “Tourism from the U.S. Drops 68.8% in January”
14ymedio, Havana, February 21, 2020 — On Friday the state-owned company Cimex published on its website a price list for used cars that it will begin selling next week. The list includes thirty models priced from $34,000 to $90,000, which must be paid for up front using a bank card or credit card. The company, … Continue reading “Used Cars for Sale in Cuba at Rip-Off Prices”
14ymedio, Havana, September 14, 2019 — Tourism, one of the few dynamic branches of the Cuban economy, is also in crisis. Official statistics published this Saturday by the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) do not yet reflect the plunge in American visitors since July but do reflect a substantial fall in European travelers … Continue reading “European Tourism in Cuba Records a Steep Drop and Hotel Occupancy Plunges”
14ymedio, Havana, August 23, 2019 — The dollar’s value rose last week on the unofficial Cuban exchange market. The U.S. currency went from 0.95 or 0.96 to 1.02 or even 1.05 Cuban convertible pesos (CUP) on the island’s informal currency market according to El Toque. The increase occurred shortly after the government announced its decision … Continue reading “The Dollar Increases in Value on the Informal Cuban Economy”
14ymedio, Havana, 12 August 2019 — Price controls now seem inevitable for privately run markets and services. According to a announcement from the Provincial Administrative Council (CAP), maximum prices private businesses and self-employed workers in Havana may charge will be regulated starting Thursday, August 15. The affected businesses also include supply-and-demand markets and pushcart vendors. … Continue reading “Six Havana Markets Allowed to Charge 30% above Regulated Price”
14ymedio, Havana, August 1, 2019 — Notice boards of missing products or those corrected in a hurry are part of the scene this Thursday as capped prices of drinks go into effect in private cafes and bakeries in Havana, a governmental measure that intends to contain inflation after the salary increase in the state sector. … Continue reading “Businesses Comply With "Capped" Prices Out of Fear of Complaints”
14ymedio, Havana, 24 July 2019 — What seemed impossible one week ago is already a reality in Pinar del Río and Las Tunas. As of August 1, the prices of beverages sold in private premises will be ‘capped’ in both provinces, according to their respective Provincial Administration Councils (CAP). Beers, juices, soft drinks and malts that are sold … Continue reading “Beer Prices Are ’Capped’ in the Private Sector in Pinar del Rio and Las Tunas”
14ymedio, Zunilda Mata, Havana, July 22, 2019 — “We don’t have Cristal or Bucanero,” repeats the employee of a state-owned cafe in Havana. On the counter, a can of Heineken and another of Hollandia sum up the offerings of cold drinks, at a price of 1.50 and 1.75 CUC, much higher than the domestic product. … Continue reading “Cuban or Imported, Beer Sets the Beat of the Economy on the Island”
14ymedio, Havana, 4 July 2019 — Cuban State Television’s Roundtable show has needed two days to explain, with Miguel Diaz-Canel and his Economy Minister, Alejandro Gil Fernandez, the salary increase for state sector employees announced last Thursday. Among the few novelties outlined by the duo responsible for the economic march of the nation was the advancement … Continue reading “Cuban President Diaz-Canel Gives the Mules a Reprieve Until Further Notice”
14ymedio, Marcelo Hernandez, Havana, July 15, 2019 — Many economists have been seized by incredulity at the official announcement that Cuba’s Gross Domestic Product recorded an increase of 2.2% in 2018, almost double the 1.2% published last December by the same authorities. In his speech last Saturday before Parliament, president Miguel Díaz-Canel took a surprising … Continue reading “Did the Cuban Economy Grow 2.2% in 2018?”
