Cuban State Media Claims Drop in International Tourism Leads to "Agricultural Surpluses"

In a statement that insults the intelligence and dignity of the Cuban people, the state-run outlet Cubadebate suggested that the decline in international tourism has led to "agricultural surpluses," as if Cuba's agricultural sector were producing enough to feed the population and now had excess products. "The agricultural sector, which dedicates a significant portion of its production to supplying the tourism industry, now faces surpluses that cannot find an alternative domestic market," stated the authors of the article in their conclusions. Although this passage was later removed, an observant reader criticized the state media for such a cruel remark.

This assertion, disconnected from reality and marked by deep cynicism, not only masks the failure of the productive and economic model but tries to spin a disaster into a supposed "opportunity." How can there be "surpluses" in a country where basic items like rice, beans, milk, or oil are scarce? How can there be talk of agricultural leftovers when rationing stores fail to meet quotas, state markets are nearly empty, and access to quality food has become a privilege for those receiving remittances or with access to foreign currency?

Agricultural Crisis: What Official Discourse Ignores

The truth is, Cuba's agricultural sector is in a severe crisis. The most recent official statistics reveal dramatic drops in the production of root vegetables, greens, pork, and milk. A lack of supplies, neglect of farmland, ineffective state control, and unpaid debts to producers have brought the sector to the brink of collapse. Even state media has acknowledged that over 70% of the food consumed in Cuba must be imported, making the notion of "surpluses" even more implausible.

What Cubadebate deliberately omits is that the reduced flow of tourists has not freed up agricultural products for national markets but has instead worsened the foreign exchange crisis, limiting the import of essential foodstuffs. The drop in tourism does not feed the people; it further impoverishes them.

The Illusion of Abundance Amidst Hunger

In a country where hundreds of thousands of families struggle to have even one meal a day and where the cost of a pound of rice can equate to a full day's wage, talking about agricultural surpluses is a cruel joke. This is a manipulative narrative attempting to portray as an achievement what is actually a national productive catastrophe.

The regime tries to divert attention from the collapse of its economic model—centered on a military-controlled tourism industry through the GAESA conglomerate—with self-congratulatory stories. While billions are funneled into empty hotels, rural areas languish in poverty, and Cubans on the island survive however they can, amidst lines, hunger, and despair.

Investment for Whom?

The regime's insistence on prioritizing tourism as an economic driver, despite its negative results and its disconnection from the country's urgent needs, reveals the elitist and militarized nature of the system. Each new hotel built is a symbol of neglect for both the countryside and the people. Every peso not invested in fertilizers, seeds, irrigation, agricultural technology, or incentives for farmers represents a deliberate denial of the Cuban people's right to adequate nutrition.

To talk of "agricultural surpluses" when there is insufficient production to guarantee even a minimal diet is not just a lie; it is an outrage.