Amid one of the most severe food crises in decades, Cuba's Vice President Salvador Valdés Mesa called on Wednesday for each municipality across the nation to achieve self-sufficiency in the production of root vegetables and greens. This initiative is part of a broader strategy for "local food sovereignty."
During the 21st regular session of the Municipal Assembly of People's Power in Güines, Valdés Mesa sharply criticized the reliance on external resources. He stated that "there is no justification for municipalities not to be self-sufficient," according to reports from national television.
The high-ranking official emphasized that contracting production directly at the local level would be the most effective approach, ensuring that each area can provide basic food supplies to its residents without depending on centralized structures.
Valdés Mesa's appeal aligns with a formal acknowledgment of the state-run food production and distribution system's failure, which was recently made public by the Minister of the Food Industry, Alberto López Díaz, during the Agro-food Commission of Parliament.
The report presented revealed that 17 companies in the sector ended the first half of 2025 with losses totaling 364 million pesos. Moreover, key food items such as milk, meat, coffee, and canned goods did not exceed 55% of their production targets. Only the beer industry managed to surpass its goals.
The causes of this failure include a lack of fuel, unsustainable debts, the collapse of the fishing industry, and a critical shortage of essential raw materials like soy, wheat, powdered milk, and oil, whose imports have been nearly nonexistent this year.
Although Valdés Mesa did not directly address the ministerial report, his statements highlight the leadership's concerns about the inefficiency of the centralized system. His proposal for each municipality to become "food sovereign" suggests a decentralization driven by collapse rather than a structural redesign of the economic model.
This concept is not new. For years, the Cuban government has promoted ideas about "local autonomy" and "productive municipalities," yet there have been no visible results in markets or on citizens' tables.
In reality, municipalities lack the legal tools, financial autonomy, supplies, and control over the commercialization of their products. Moreover, decisions regarding pricing, distribution, and procurement remain under national agencies' control.
The Minister of the Food Industry himself acknowledged that 25% of national production now relies on the private sector, with over 2,300 contracts signed with new non-state economic actors due to the state enterprises' inability to sustain the basic supply.
For millions of Cubans, these exhortations from assemblies and calls for self-sufficiency starkly contrast with the everyday reality of empty markets, unaffordable prices, and growing malnutrition.
Production figures and ministerial reports confirm what the population already experiences: the food crisis is not a temporary issue but a long-standing structural problem.
Understanding Cuba's Local Self-Sufficiency Initiative
What is the local food sovereignty strategy proposed by Salvador Valdés Mesa?
The local food sovereignty strategy proposed by Salvador Valdés Mesa seeks for each municipality in Cuba to become self-sufficient in producing root vegetables and greens, reducing dependency on centralized structures.
Why did the Vice President criticize the reliance on external resources?
Valdés Mesa criticized the reliance on external resources because it undermines local self-sufficiency and the ability of municipalities to provide basic food supplies directly to their residents.
What are the main challenges facing Cuba's food production system?
The main challenges include a lack of fuel, unsustainable debts, the collapse of the fishing industry, and shortages of essential raw materials like soy, wheat, powdered milk, and oil.