The government of Cuba announced on Monday that it would cut by one a quarter of the subsidized daily bread ration, as part of the worsening shortage of basic goods in the country. The new ration of bread will be reduced from 80 grams to 60 grams per person, and its price will also be slightly lowered to less than 1 peso, reports Reuters
The decision comes at a time when the Cuban economy is experiencing serious difficulties, including shortages of food, fuel and medicine. Many of the country's residents, who earn an average of about 4,648 pesos a month (roughly $15), are increasingly dependent on these subsidized products as the private market offers significantly higher prices.
The bread problem stems from a shortage of wheat flour, which the Cuban government blames on the long-standing US trade embargo that complicates the country's international financial transactions. Bread remains one of the few subsidized products that Cubans can still afford.
The Cuban "libretto" — the rationing system introduced after Fidel Castro's revolution in 1959 provided Cubans with basic goods such as bread, meat and milk at significantly lower prices. Today, the government offers only a small fraction of these products, which are often of poor quality or not delivered on time at all.
Cuba has already sought help from the World Food Program to ensure supplies of subsidized milk powder for children, another staple that has become scarce.