Cuban State TV Acknowledges Lack of National Solution to Agricultural Crisis

In a rare admission on state television, the program "Cuadrando la Caja" openly stated that Cuba lacks the economic means to provide a nationwide solution to its agricultural crisis, instead advocating for local-level approaches.

"Currently, the country is not equipped to offer a national solution due to economic constraints," declared Dr. Roberto Caballero, a member of the National Executive Committee of the Cuban Association of Agricultural and Forestry Technicians. His remarks were made during the latest episode of the government-affiliated program focusing on food production in Cuba, notably without any farmers present.

Caballero emphasized the need for grassroots improvement, suggesting that resources, potential, and local capacities should be mobilized starting from municipalities and provinces, granting them greater autonomy.

The discussion primarily revolved around managing scarcity rather than fundamentally restructuring the agricultural sector. José Carlos Cordobés, another panelist and the General Director of Industrial Policy at the Ministry of the Food Industry, concurred that food production does not meet national demand. He highlighted that the industry relies on a weakened agricultural sector suffering from a lack of inputs, energy, and funding.

The program urged that in the absence of a "national solution," initiatives should emerge from the bottom up. This involves prioritizing municipal autonomy, leveraging local capacities, and fostering productive linkages between farmers, industries, and new economic actors.

Caballero pointed out that territorial autonomy remains "relative" and is hindered by centralized decisions, limiting local governments' real ability to produce food. The conversation also touched on promoting models like micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and mini-industries, as well as the need to strengthen cooperatives and sustainable production systems.

Despite acknowledging a broad legal framework, the central issue remains the "how" of implementation amid chronic shortages. While some provinces were mentioned as having positive experiences, the program admitted these solutions are not universally applicable, relying on local initiatives and specific incentives.

The broadcast concluded without outlining a clear path for transformation but highlighted an economic diagnosis that shifts the responsibility for resolving the crisis to the local level, where national planning once again lacks the material capacity to achieve its goals.

Caballero also sparked controversy by criticizing Cuba's high rice consumption, suggesting that one of the main barriers to achieving so-called food sovereignty is the population's eating habits.

"We're not Asians. Eating rice is not inherently Cuban. It's ingrained in our traditions, but that can change. Given the current scarcity, people will accept whatever is available," he remarked with a smile.

The audience's reactions were largely critical, extending beyond technicalities to challenge the political and economic model itself. Many viewers interpreted the admission of "no economy" as an acknowledgment of systemic failure after more than six decades of state management.

Complaints about the lack of freedoms, excessive centralization, the absence of real private land ownership, and Acopio's role as a production bottleneck were frequent. Some ridiculed the panelists, questioning their technical legitimacy and accusing the program of being propaganda to justify the unjustifiable.

Several comments contrasted the current situation with pre-1959 Cuba, labeling communism as an imported and failed system, while others openly called for political change as the only viable solution to the agricultural and national crisis.

Recently, Cuban economist Pedro Monreal criticized the government for deliberately misleading the public about the severity of the agricultural crisis by systematically delaying the release of statistics and replacing verifiable data with propaganda.

In a Facebook post titled "El Estado como tal," Monreal asserted that the current agricultural crisis is "deeper and more prolonged" than the Special Period, but the State conceals it by combining a simplified narrative with an intensified statistical blackout.