Cubans struggle to survive on pocket-size ration books
AP News • • nation
Key Points:
- Cuba’s state-run ration stores are nearly empty, with many basic goods unavailable, leaving millions of citizens struggling to afford food amid soaring prices and an economic collapse.
- The government ration book, once providing a full monthly diet, has significantly shrunk since its establishment in the 1960s, now offering only minimal items like rice, sugar, and chickpeas.
- Many Cubans rely on remittances from abroad to supplement their meager incomes, as state salaries and pensions are insufficient to cover basic needs, forcing some to reduce meals or subsist on limited diets.
- Cuba imports up to 80% of its food but faces financial constraints that limit imports, worsened by inflation and budget imbalances following a problematic currency unification in 2021.
- The government is considering shifting subsidies from goods to direct aid for people in need, but severe shortages, power outages, and a U.S. energy blockade continue to deepen the island’s crisis.
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