HAVANA, Cuba, (ACN) – Cuba faces difficulties with inputs such as wheat flour for the production of bread for the standard family basket, but despite the limitations, it will ensure that this food reaches every consumer.
Anayra Cabrera Martinez, general director of Industrial Policy of the Ministry of Food Industry (Minal by its Spanish acronym), explained to the press that in view of this contingency and based on the inventories – both of flour and wheat – carried out in the national territory, it was decided that, in order to maintain the supply to the population, from [today] the weight of the bread of the standard family basket will be temporarily reduced from 80 to 60 grams and its price will be 75 cents.
The reduction will allow in the next few days to guarantee its production and distribution without affecting consumers or prioritized facilities such as schools and health centers, she commented.
The reduction of the bread weight should not affect the quality of the product and Minal, with its National State Inspection Team, will reinforce actions to control that the bread that reaches each household is properly made, Cabrera Martinez added.
The Caribbean nation is in a situation of low availability of raw materials for the elaboration of this food so demanded by the people, due to the scarce financing and the pursuit of the funds that the country has to acquire them, he pointed out.
Maydel Linares Ramos, first vice president of the Food Industry Business Group (GEIA by its Spanish acronym), referred that in view of the situation, this higher State management body, along with the Cuban Milling Company, are identifying volumes of flour throughout the country in order to cover the demand required in the basic food basket.
Cuban Bread Chain, one of the entities belonging to the GEIA, continues with its sales of bread liberated as a result of productive linkages with non-state management forms such as MSMEs, non-agricultural cooperatives and self-employed workers, which will allow some stability in the delivery of that product, she detailed.
According to Linares Ramos, the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the US government on Cuba does not allow the payment to the suppliers of the merchandise to arrive in a timely manner, and although there are many friends of the Caribbean nation that wish to support in that sense, the banking operations are complicated.
Zaily Perez Hernandez, commercial director of the Cuban Milling Company, expressed that this facility will focus on negotiating solutions to guarantee the production of bread in each territory.
The Cuban government’s willingness to ensure that there is no impact on the acquisition of standard bread, in spite of the high cost of wheat flour in other markets, was finally acknowledged.
