The United States’ tightened sanctions and fuel embargo have spiked Cuba’s food crisis. This leaves crops rotting in fields and families scrambling for meals just as the Easter season begins.
Fuel embargo and Trump-era sanctions strangle Cuba’s food crisis
Farmers in eastern Cuba described fields ready for harvest with no fuel to bring in the crops. Others pointed to broken machinery that they have no means to repair.
The US fuel embargo and tightened sanctions reinstated under President Trump strangle Cuba’s agricultural system from seed to table. Farmers already operate under severe constraints, unable to import tractor parts, access fertilisers, and pesticides.
“ We cannot pay for basic inputs through normal banking channels. Machinery breaks down, and we SIT idle for months”
Additionally, climate change compounds the disaster. It brings stronger storms, longer droughts, erratic rainfall, and rising temperatures.
Some of the farmers said even repaired farm equipment sits idle for lack of diesel. Irrigation systems go dry, and planting faces delays or cutbacks.
Tomatoes rot, trucks idle as Cuba’s food distribution chains collapse
The farmers emphasized that without sufficient fuel, trucks cannot transport fresh produce from rural farms to urban markets. Distribution chains collapse.
Tomatoes, which is one of Cuba’s most abundant seasonal crops, offer a painful example. They lament that without reliable electricity to run processing factories, mountains of ripe tomatoes spoil before workers can turn them into paste or sauce.
“Resilience has limits. No amount of ingenuity can substitute for fuel that doesn’t arrive,” said one farmer.
They further explained that they spend hours in queues, piecing together meals from whatever they can find. Protein remains scarce, while fresh fruits and vegetables often cost far beyond ordinary people’s reach.
Meanwhile, state salaries, typically equivalent to $15 to $30 per month, no longer keep pace with soaring food prices. A few pounds of tomatoes, a carton of eggs, or a bottle of cooking oil can consume a week’s wages.
However, pensioners and families on fixed incomes suffer the most. This has forced them to stretch rations, skip meals, or rely on remittances from relatives abroad.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s major proponent of squeezing Cuba, argues that pressure is necessary to force regime change.
In a recent development, a Canadian politician and activist, Avi Lewis, has accused US President Donald Trump of fuelling a humanitarian crisis in Cuba through an oil blockade. Lewis stated that the policy is causing devastating power outages and rationing for the island’s 11 million people.