Hurricanes Sweep Food Shortages Back Into Cubans' Lives -- CNN
HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- Many Cubans thought they'd left behind forever the grim, hungry days that were the norm just after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and, with it, the loss of billions of dollars in subsidies for the Communist state.
But what government officials used to call euphemistically "the special period" has returned, thanks to recent back-to-back visits of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, which devastated farm production. Now, years after the economic crisis of the 1990s, Cubans are again facing the specter of hunger.
"There isn't a single province or municipality in Cuba that wasn't affected," said Vice Minister of Agriculture Alcides Lopez.
Cubans still receive a monthly food ration, but there's now less to go around.
Authorities say this crisis could last six months.
In response, the government has set price limits and harsh penalties for anyone who breaks them.
The government imposed the price limits just weeks after it raised the price of gasoline by 70 percent, to $5.50 per gallon, which made it more expensive for farmers to get their crops to market.
Read more ....
But what government officials used to call euphemistically "the special period" has returned, thanks to recent back-to-back visits of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, which devastated farm production. Now, years after the economic crisis of the 1990s, Cubans are again facing the specter of hunger.
"There isn't a single province or municipality in Cuba that wasn't affected," said Vice Minister of Agriculture Alcides Lopez.
Cubans still receive a monthly food ration, but there's now less to go around.
Authorities say this crisis could last six months.
In response, the government has set price limits and harsh penalties for anyone who breaks them.
The government imposed the price limits just weeks after it raised the price of gasoline by 70 percent, to $5.50 per gallon, which made it more expensive for farmers to get their crops to market.
Read more ....
"There isn't a single province or municipality in Cuba that wasn't affected," said Vice Minister of Agriculture Alcides Lopez.
Cubans still receive a monthly food ration, but there's now less to go around.
Authorities say this crisis could last six months.
In response, the government has set price limits and harsh penalties for anyone who breaks them.
The government imposed the price limits just weeks after it raised the price of gasoline by 70 percent, to $5.50 per gallon, which made it more expensive for farmers to get their crops to market.
Read more ....
My Comment: We may bitch about the corruption and greed of Wall Street, the stupidity (and corruption) of our politicians, and the high cost and hard work necessary to live in North America. But this pales in comparison to what life is like in Cuba. My Canadian friends who always go to Cuba for a winter vacation always point this out to me when they come back.
Cubans still receive a monthly food ration, but there's now less to go around.
Authorities say this crisis could last six months.
In response, the government has set price limits and harsh penalties for anyone who breaks them.
The government imposed the price limits just weeks after it raised the price of gasoline by 70 percent, to $5.50 per gallon, which made it more expensive for farmers to get their crops to market.
Read more ....
My Comment: We may bitch about the corruption and greed of Wall Street, the stupidity (and corruption) of our politicians, and the high cost and hard work necessary to live in North America. But this pales in comparison to what life is like in Cuba. My Canadian friends who always go to Cuba for a winter vacation always point this out to me when they come back.