HAVANA: Subsidized food, without which most Cubans would not eat at all, is becoming rarer and more expensive as the government struggles with sanctions and struggles to pay for imports. Breads are smaller – not even the size of an adult’s hand – rice is scarce, and oil and coffee are nowhere to be found. “Some go to bed without eating anything, just sugar water if they have it,” said Rosalia Terrero, 57, who works at one of Havana’s “bodegas” where subsidized food can be bought. Store shelves are almost empty. Terrera’s own family of seven survives each day mostly on a piece of subsidized bread – the weight of which the government has reduced from 80 to 60 grams (2.8 to 2.1 ounces), which she says is not enough to “fill the stomach”. .” Other staple foods include rice and beans. Most people cannot afford to shop in private shops – allowed in the communist country only three years ago – or in unsubsidized state-owned shops that only accept foreign currency. Cuba is facing its worst economic crisis in 30 years, with sky-high inflation and an average monthly salary of barely $42. But food shortages “are what hit Cubans the hardest,” Terrero told AFP. “If you don’t have rice, pasta or macaroni on the table, it’s not that noticeable, but if there’s nothing at all, it hits very hard. Cubans stay angry from the moment they wake up to the moment they go to bed.” With dwindling foreign reserves, Cuba is finding it increasingly difficult to pay for the sustenance of its population of about 11 million people. The communist island needs about 3,300 US tons of wheat for bread each month, but managed to get a third in July and August and only 600 tons in September, according to official figures. Last week, a ship loaded with wheat was docked at the port and unable to unload, with the government saying it did not have the “finances” to pay for the cargo. This also happened with the recent rice and salt ships. Commerce Secretary Betsy Diaz warned the public that in September, like August, there will be “no oil or coffee.”
