It is a dilemma for Cubans to make ends meet. Wages are not enough to face the very high prices that the lack of offers, real inflation and speculation bequeath to us.

What we know well at the household level, we sometimes fail to understand at the level of the larger dwelling that is the country. Even at that scale, finances are not enough for everything we aspire to and especially for what we need.

As the heads of the nuclei in each household, the leadership of the country has to draw up accounts and more accounts of how it is going to solve the most urgent needs and define priorities in the midst of all that is lacking.

Drawing up accounts every day at pencil point to know how to acquire food, fuel, medicines, spare parts, raw materials, services and other things that are required is not an easy task.

Especially because these accounts must be drawn for the needs of 11 million Cubans. Where others solve with satisfying the elites, and the rest…we already know, the socialist state has to look for solutions for all or for the majorities.

Add to these additions and subtractions the money to pay what we can of the debts we have and the obligations of the contracts signed. And in this world, if you don’t pay, nobody will sell you or give you credit again. Even less in the midst of such a complicated international economic crisis.

The calculations are becoming more complex after two years of high expenses due to the pandemic and little income from exports of goods or services.

To get an idea of the dimension of our economic challenges: the country’s total foreign currency income for the first quarter of 2022 exceeded 493 million dollars, a figure similar to that achieved in the same period of the previous year, but much lower than what we had before March 2020. However, imports of goods amounted to more than US$2 billion, US$688 million higher than in the same period of 2021.

Such an imbalance between what we take in and what we buy in hard currency implies new debts and more challenges. And it does not mean that more spending equals more goods. Generally, more has been spent to acquire the same or fewer quantities. Inflation is not just here at home; it is now a growing global process.

If the price of oil in June 2021 was at $71 a barrel today it exceeds $118 a barrel. In June 2020 it was around 38 dollars. In other words, in just two years, the country has to spend 80 dollars more for each barrel of oil if it acquires it on the international market. We are not talking about transportation costs or the permanent harassment by the United States against shipping companies that risk transporting fuel to Cuba.

In order to continue to ensure basic foodstuffs for our diet, such as rice and wheat for bread, as well as other components of the standard basic food basket, which is sold to every citizen of the country without distinction, the government and our importing companies not only have to deal with an increasingly restrictive and protectionist market, but also have to pay more money for the same amount of products.

We must remember that guaranteeing a pound of rice for each Cuban means acquiring 5,200 tons of rice. And so on for each product of the standard basic food basket: 5,200 tons to guarantee one pound.

The country needs about 700,000 tons of rice for its consumption, most of which is imported. The trend of rice prices in the world market has been upward in the last five months and already exceeds US$430 per ton. And prices are expected to rise due to increased demand, in the face of insufficient supply and high prices of other basic foodstuffs.

The value of many food commodities, from wheat and other grains to meat and oils, has soared. That has been driven by a number of factors, including rising fertilizer and energy costs over the past year, as well as the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

The UN food price index shows that prices are 75% above pre-pandemic levels.

In its latest Food Outlook report, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) explained that an additional $49 billion will be spent worldwide on food imports this year due to higher prices.

Source: Resumen