Matanzas Communist Leader Urges Bringing Food Closer to Neighborhoods

On Saturday, the first secretary of the Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) in Matanzas, Mario Felipe Sabines Lorenzo, called on producers and state agencies to revive agricultural fairs and bring food closer to neighborhoods. This appeal was made during the debut of his radio program, "Open Dialogue," on Radio 26, as reported by the state-run newspaper Periódico Girón on Wednesday.

The request followed a complaint from a listener, Amelia Rodríguez, who highlighted the neglect of the Agricultural Fair at Plaza XIV Festival, forcing the elderly to travel long distances for food. Another listener, Dairon Martín, pointed out a large landfill in the Pueblo Nuevo neighborhood that poses health risks to residents.

Sabines Lorenzo acknowledged the validity of both complaints and promised to follow up, though public reaction on social media was skeptical: "I can't remember when they started saying the same thing," one user commented; another added, "With or without Open Dialogue, nothing will change."

The official stated that the main concern for residents of Matanzas is food access, framing the provincial management around two main objectives: food production and a shift in energy matrix.

In terms of agricultural progress, the regime representative mentioned the planting of over 600 hectares of rice and the conversion of irrigation systems to solar panels, enabling farmers to irrigate without relying on fuel.

He also highlighted the reopening of the Matanzas Biscuit Factory after installing solar panels, although he admitted that high raw material costs continue to be a hurdle.

Promises to bring food closer to Matanzas neighborhoods are not new. In May 2026, the provincial PCC had already made a similar pledge in the context of power outages lasting up to 70 hours.

Regarding energy matters, the leader noted that over 35,000 homes are equipped with solar modules, more than 2,000 lamps have been installed, and 1,450 private businesses have acquired their own energy systems to avoid depending on the National Electric System.

However, the province is grappling with over 170 burned transformers and severe water pumping issues, affecting about 265,000 people by the end of October, placing the territory second in the nation for population without regular water supply.

In an effort to separate the crises, the regime is working on installing generators and panels in hydraulic systems to "disconnect the power blackout from the water blackout," according to Sabines Lorenzo.

On waste management, the leader announced a new model that involves charging fees to economic actors and digital payments via QR code to finance garbage collection.

Sabines Lorenzo revealed that the next episode of "Open Dialogue" will be entirely focused on water supply: "We will organize a visit to the hydraulic sector from the provincial Party, [...] and we will address everything related to water pumping."

The "Open Dialogue" program mirrors the format of the biweekly "Shared Criteria" show launched by Díaz-Canel on Radio Rebelde in September 2026, which has shown its own limitations. In its fourth episode, Díaz-Canel admitted that only nine of 23 complaints received in the previous episode had been resolved.