The fuel crisis, inflation and sanctions increase the suffering of farmers in Cuba

Farmer Abraham Rodriguez was standing looking at the furrows of the wheat field stretching out in front of him, knowing that he had to finish plowing them before sunset.

Although it was only midday in the Cuban village of Artemisa, the heat of the sun was so harsh that he began to feel tired early, as working the land was always hard.

Rodriguez has spent almost half his life in agriculture, since he was forced to start working at the age of 13 after his parents separated. Today, he is 26 years old and sees this work as nothing more than an increasing burden.

Rodriguez confirms that farming has always been exhausting work, but now it has become almost impossible. He earns 1,200 pesos per day, equivalent to about $2.44, which forces him to work two full days to buy one bottle of oil.

He says that sometimes weeks pass without him being able to eat meat, and his last meal was white rice and fried bananas, which is the same meal he eats for breakfast every day.

He added: “Previously, I was able to allocate part of my income to eat at a restaurant once a week, but the situation changed dramatically after the (Corona) pandemic, as living conditions deteriorated significantly,” pointing out that he no longer minds the idea of ​​American intervention in his country, if that would improve his life and the lives of Cubans in general.

Constant suffering

This suffering is not limited to Rodriguez alone, as many farmers in Artemisa, which is the heart of the Cuban countryside south of the capital, Havana, live on limited meals that barely meet their needs, in light of their inability to provide the basics.

The reduction of the government procurement system, through which the government used to buy crops, led to the destruction of large amounts of production in the fields.

The crisis was exacerbated as a result of the inflation that followed the Corona pandemic, in addition to the US sanctions imposed on Cuba, which prompted some farmers to resort to the illegal charcoal trade or migrate, which caused the dispersion of many families in search of means of survival.

Yomar Matos’ situation reflects a similar picture of this ongoing suffering. He worked for years in the construction field in Havana, before losing his job three months ago, which forced him to turn to agriculture as his last source of livelihood.

Matos moved to Artemisa to live with his brother and stepfather, who have been farming for seven years.

Every day, the three share a very simple breakfast, consisting of a few bananas and a small bottle of black coffee.

Matos says in an affected voice that he is the father of two daughters, one of whom is nine years old, and lives in Brazil with her mother, and enjoys a much better life, as the mother works as an accountant in a store, while the other child, who is not more than five months old, lives in Cuba with his mother.

Matos recalls his memories with a sad smile, noting that his eldest daughter left when she was thin, but today she is in better health.

Granary

The village of Artemisa was known in the past as “Havana’s granary,” as it supplied the capital with about 40% of its fresh produce needs, thanks to its fertile soil and favorable climate for agriculture.

It was also an important center for the production of grains, vegetables, and fruits, in addition to sugar cane and livestock raising, which made it a basic pillar of agriculture in Cuba.

Despite the slogans raised by the Communist Party banners, such as “Proud of our work in agriculture,” the reality is completely different, as farmers confirm that work has become more difficult than ever before. The scarcity of fuel led to a significant increase in costs, and agriculture no longer achieved a return equal to the effort expended on it.

The two brothers, Aidan and Michael Romero Alvarez, face similar challenges. They inherited agricultural land from their family, and have lived on it all their lives, but today they feel increasingly concerned about the future.

They say that the crisis has become more complicated after political tensions in Venezuela as a result of the military operation carried out by the United States last January, which resulted in the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro, as this affected Venezuelan energy supplies to Cuba, leading to a severe fuel shortage.

For his part, Michael, while watching his workers harvesting carrots, explains that the lack of fuel makes it impossible to transport the crops to markets, which leads to them spoiling in the fields.

He expresses sadness, saying, “It is very painful when they succeed in producing a good crop, but are unable to sell it.”

Crop diversification

Since the 1959 revolution, most of Cuba’s agricultural land has been owned by the government, but its management policies have changed over time.

The country relied for long periods on large-scale monoculture agriculture, especially sugar cane, which led to soil degradation and the economy’s dependence on exports to the former Soviet Union.

After the collapse of the socialist bloc, the government moved to diversify crops, establish cooperatives, and distribute land to farmers, obliging them to sell part of their production to the state, and allowing them to sell the remainder in the markets.

Although these policies helped preserve the food system, they did not achieve sufficient economic benefit for farmers, which prompted some of them to leave their lands.

In 2008, the government, under Raul Castro, tried to encourage agriculture by easing restrictions and granting undeveloped land to farmers. About the Guardian

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Weak investments

Anthropologist Mary Orrell says access to land was conditional on having minimal equipment, with tracts of up to 32 acres able to be granted.

However, small farmers still suffer from weak investments, as the Cuban government focuses its support more on cooperatives and state farms, while continuing to encourage them to produce despite the energy crisis, within the framework of a rhetoric calling for “feeding the nation.”

. Farmers live on limited meals, which barely meet their needs, in light of their inability to provide the basics.

. Reducing the government procurement system led to the destruction of large amounts of production In the fields.

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Increasing demand for coal with fuel scarcity

Luis Garcia has been working in coal production for many years. From the source

Coal production is one of the most popular activities in Cuban rural areas, as a result of the increasing demand for it by the population, especially in light of the frequent power outages.

Among those working in this field is Luis Torres Garcia, 63 years old, who has been working in charcoal production for many years in the backyard of his house, near the town of Guerra de Melina.

Lewis says that charcoal is widely used in cooking and for many other uses, especially with the scarcity of fuel, noting that it is available in villages and cities whose residents face difficult living conditions.

Luis starts his day early by heading to the forest, where he cuts marabou wood, then transports it to his home using a tractor.

He then places the wood in a simple, open oven and leaves it to burn for approximately 10 days, until it turns into charcoal ready for use.

After completing this process, the coal is stored in bags in preparation for transport and sale in various places.

The government is Luis’s main customer, as it buys charcoal from him at a price of 900 pesos per bag, which weighs about nine kilograms.

Like other farmers, he is allowed to sell excess quantities directly in the markets, or to any customer who wants to buy the product, in order to cover production costs.

Lewis sells charcoal according to the market price, which is about $2.4 per bag, although prices have sometimes risen to four dollars per bag.

However, he is careful not to exploit the circumstances, saying that he remembers well the suffering of poverty, hunger and need, and therefore refuses to raise prices excessively.

In another aspect of his life, Luis’s wife, Milagros Moreno, sits on the balcony of the house, busy sorting rice in preparation for preparing food.

Milagros works as a nurse in the town of Guerra de Melina, but the deterioration of transportation prevented her from continuing to go to work.

Both Luis and his wife express their strong criticism of the “maximum pressure” policy pursued by the United States towards Cuba.

Luis Garcia criticizes US President Donald Trump, saying that he should leave Cuba alone so that it can establish trade relations with other countries. He believes that these policies aim to stifle the country.

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An alternative source of income

Angel Reyes sells charcoal on the street after being a taxi driver. From the source

42-year-old Cuban man Angel Reyes sells bags of charcoal for 1,300 pesos each.

It did not take long for him to enter this field, as he started working in it only a few weeks ago. Previously, he worked as a taxi driver in San Antonio de los Baños, but the fuel shortage crisis that worsened forced him to leave his profession and search for an alternative source of income.

Reyes found what he wanted in the coal trade, which he saw as a practical means to help him overcome his financial crisis and alleviate the hardship he faced.

Due to the arduous nature of this work, his hands are often covered with blisters and wounds resulting from the thorns of the marabou trees, in the absence of gloves to protect him from these injuries. However, he does not think to search for them, asking with disapproval: “Where can I get them from in the first place?” Reyes is fully aware that he may be subject to inspections by government agencies, which usually monitor this type of trade, but he has not been subjected to any inspection so far, and he does not seem concerned about this, and he justifies His position is that his main priority is to support his children, explaining that he may be able to buy shoes for them once a year, but providing food remains a daily necessity that cannot be postponed.