Amid Cuba's severe crisis, the regime has announced the sale of a food package for almost 1,000 Cuban pesos in Guantánamo, aimed at preparing the traditional caldosa for the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) on September 28.
According to an article in the official local newspaper Venceremos, the supplies will be sold to the CDRs, who are set to prepare the caldosa on Friday, September 27, as part of the festivities. The package, priced at approximately 953 pesos, includes an assortment of products such as 50 packs of soda, two liters of syrup, two bottles of refined rum, and one bottle of liquor or wine.
Additionally, it comprises a pound of noodles, beef bones, and a kilogram of croquette dough. The Provincial Coordination of the CDRs has indicated that meat products will be prioritized for distribution in the municipality of Guantánamo due to their limited availability.
Agricultural products, including yucca, pumpkin, and burro bananas, will be supplied by the agricultural sector across most municipalities. However, in Guantánamo and Caimanera, the Acopio company will be responsible for distribution, the report highlights.
Distribution Points for the Food Package
The products will be available at commercial complexes of the respective People's Councils, with specific points designated for the purchase of root vegetables. According to an additional note circulated by the president of the Central People's Council in Guantánamo city, some of these points include CDR 263 in El Cebollín (San Justo), CDR 147 in La Acelga (Reparto Obrero), and CDR 337 in El Progreso (Sur Isleta), among others.
The Symbolic Caldosa: A Tribute Amid Scarcity
The traditional CDR caldosa has become a challenging task for most Cubans in the current context of scarcity and inflation on the island. This Wednesday, a recent tribute by the INDER to the CDRs featured a symbolic caldosa. JIT, the sports news portal, shared images on the social network X of a "lively morning" in honor of the CDRs' 64th anniversary, where a "symbolic caldosa" was prepared as part of the event.
In addition to the fake caldosa, cooked in an empty pot, coffee was also served, and clothes were "symbolically" hung during the INDER's tribute to the CDRs.
The caldosa, once a symbol of celebration in Cuban neighborhoods, has turned into a bitter representation of the poverty and shortages that dominate daily life on the island. What used to be a plentiful and varied dish, made with fresh ingredients, is now out of reach for most Cubans. Preparing a quality caldosa requires spending amounts that exceed their means.
In this context, the regime continues to pretend that the CDRs remain the people's organization. This week, the organization's secretary, Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, urged Cubans not to overlook CDR Day.