Cubans struggle as ration books offer dwindling basic goods
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · May 3
Cubans struggle as ration books offer dwindling basic goods
12 articles · Updated · POLITICO · May 3
In Havana, some April bodegas stocked only rice, sugar and split chickpeas, while pensions and salaries of 4,000-8,000 pesos left many unable to buy eggs, meat or cornmeal privately.
Residents said portions and quality have fallen sharply, with some cutting to one meal a day and relying on remittances; those without family abroad described surviving on little more than bread and donated rice.
Cuba imports up to 80% of its food, and economists say inflation after the 2021 currency merger, fiscal strain, power cuts, fuel shortages and weak tourism have deepened shortages and undermined the decades-old ration system.
With its historic ration book gone, how are Cubans surviving the island's worst crisis?
As U.S. sanctions intensify, is Cuba heading for major reforms or a humanitarian catastrophe?
Can China's massive solar power investment rescue Cuba from total economic collapse?
Cuba’s Deepening Emergency: Blackouts, Shrinking Rations, and Economic Collapse in 2026
Overview
Since early 2026, an intensified U.S. fuel blockade has caused a severe fuel shortage in Cuba, leading to repeated national power grid collapses and daily blackouts exceeding 18 hours. These blackouts have crippled hospitals, worsened public health, and devastated food security as government rations shrink drastically. The crisis is deepened by a collapsing economy marked by high inflation and collapsing real wages, sparking protests demanding food and electricity. This emergency stems from both escalating U.S. sanctions disrupting fuel and remittances, and long-standing internal economic weaknesses like underinvestment in agriculture and infrastructure. Without significant sanction relief and internal reforms, Cuba faces worsening humanitarian conditions, growing inequality, and accelerating emigration.