Cuba, grappling with an escalating energy crisis, has switched off almost 75% of its public lighting during high-use hours, as per state media reports from Tuesday. The move comes in response to a deepening economic downturn, with the probability of recovery seeming increasingly remote.
Frequent and prolonged blackouts have been a bane of the communist nation for several years and have intensified recently due to fuel shortages and the burden of sustaining an ageing infrastructure. Vicente de la O Levy, the Energy and Mines Minister, shared in a ministers’ council meeting that several measures, including the closure of thousands of government services and a shift in production, were being engaged to alleviate the rolling blackouts roiling the nation.
Being highly reliant on imports, the nation has plunged deeper into an economic crisis that registered a 10% decrease in GDP since 2019. The government predominantly attributes this to the sanctions imposed during Trump’s tenure that targeted foreign currency revenue from sources like tourism, medical services, and remittances. These sanctions, exacerbated by the pandemic, rising freight costs, and stumbling attempts to restructure a centralized and government-led economy, have hit the country hard.
As per official data, the foreign exchange shortfall for essential imports like food, medicine, and fuel appears to have worsened this year. As Mr. De la O Levy disclosed last month, Cuba received a meagre 46% of planned fuel imports, triggering extended blackouts across the country, excluding capital Havana.
Telephonic surveys in five of 14 provinces indicate daily blackouts ranging between six to twelve hours in two shifts. According to Yurkina Gracial, a state worker from Guantanamo province, the power cut-offs that last four hours, twice daily, are intolerable considering the sweltering heat. Similarly, Jaime Carrillo, a restaurant owner from Pinar del Rio province, emphasized the daily hardships caused by eight-hour power outages, deteriorating stored food due to defrosting, for instance.
In another blow, state-run media reported on Monday that Cuba had sought the World Food Programme’s aid in securing the supply of subsidised powdered milk for children.
Cuba indicated in February that it’s fighting to maintain its milk supply due to a drop in domestic output, the latest scarcity to hit a subsidy programme set up decades ago by the late Fidel Castro. In response, Cuba has sought support from the World Food Programme (WFP) to ensure a steady supply of powdered milk for its young population, according to state media platform, CubaDebate.
In the near future, a consignment of 340 tonnes of powdered milk is expected to reach Cuba from Brazil, following Cuba’s appeal to the WFP, as reported by CubaDebate. In addition, Cuban officials revealed in February that the nation experienced a wheat shortage, resulting in a reduction in the provision of subsidised bread.
Milk for children and bread constitute essential elements of Cuba’s ‘ration book’ system, introduced post-Castro’s 1959 revolution to offer subsidised basic items to everyone. However, an economic crisis has led to a state of chaos in the system, affecting the government’s capacity to fulfil its promises. Consequently, Cuba is witnessing shortages in food, fuel, and medicine, reports Reuters.