Food crisis in Cuba aggravated by high world prices

Cuba traditionally imports by sea about 70% of the food it consumes, but tough US sanctions and the pandemic have cut off tourism, drastically reducing foreign exchange earnings. For more than a year, Cubans have endured steep price increases as they search for everything from milk, butter, chicken and beans to rice, pasta and cooking oil. They scavenged the meager produce from the market and collected dwindling World War II-style rations. This month, the Cuban state announced that wheat flour availability would be cut by 30% through the end of July. Cuba does not grow wheat due to its subtropical climate. The price of this commodity was $280/ton in April, compared with $220/ton a year earlier. The government also said the sugar harvest was more than 30 per cent short of the planned 1.2 million tonnes, reaching less than one million tonnes for the first time in more than a century. Cuba will find it difficult to make up for the shortfall in domestically produced sugar due to ...