[News] Cuba battle acute fuel shortage

[Cigar Surgeon]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cuba-economy/cuba-says-facing-acute-fuel-shortage-due-to-u-s-sanctions-idUSKCN1VX01S

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba must implement emergency measures to stave off an acute fuel shortage in September caused by the Trump administration’s efforts to block oil shipments to the country, President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Wednesday.

 

 

People board a public bus in Havana, Cuba, September 11, 2019. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

The island will have to make do this month with the little fuel now available, plus supply from a ship that arrives on Saturday and another at the end of September, Diaz-Canel said in a roundtable discussion on state television.

He said all shipments for October were already guaranteed.

“There may be tense situations in the distribution of some products and the provision of services to the population in the coming days,” Diaz-Canel said.

The aim was to avoid blackouts, he said, adding: “If we have to do them ... they will not be as long nor as intense of those of the Special Period,” a reference to the severe economic depression Cuba went through in the 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Cuba’s centrally planned economy has faced a cash crunch since 2015 following a decline in the supply of oil from leftist ally Venezuela, forcing the government to adopt austerity measures.

Since then, U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has tightened the decades-old embargo on Cuba in what it says is an attempt to get the Communist government to reform and drop support for Venezuela’s embattled president, Nicolas Maduro.

Some analysts say it is also eyeing the anti-Castro exile vote in the battleground state of Florida in next year’s presidential election.

“I can assure you that we have a strategy to succeed and the Yankee administration will not achieve its aim of disheartening the Cuban people and much less vanquishing it,” Diaz-Canel said.

U.S measures have included new sanctions on vessels and firms involved in oil exports to the island.

“We have had to carry out constant negotiations to see how we manage to get fuel to the country, and the last ones ... did not work out,” Diaz-Canel said.

Economy Minister Alejandro Gil said in the roundtable the Cuban government was focusing this month on ensuring basic services to the population at the cost of lower economic productivity, which could mean investment projects would have to be paused for a few weeks.

The government will explain the emergency measures in more detail on another roundtable discussion on state TV on Thursday evening.

The president exhorted all Cubans to contribute to greater energy efficiency. Workers with state cars should offer rides to others and those who could work from home should do so.

Diaz-Canel assured Cubans the crisis was not a return to the Special Period because the economy now had worldwide alliances and was more diversified.

He said it now produced 40 percent of the country’s fuel consumption and that tourism remained strong despite increased U.S. restrictions on travel to the island.

[Corylax18]

I just read a similar article in Granma:

http://en.granma.cu/cuba/2019-09-12/cuban-president-announces-measures-to-deal-with-conjunctural-fuel-shortage

At least the Reuters article mentions, albeit briefly, the real cause. A more than 90% reduction in the free oil they where receiving from Venezuela. Regardless of who's to blame, the only people being harmed are the ones t hat deserve it the least. Fuel was already expensive, (about 4USD per gallon), rolling blackouts weren't uncommon in Havana either. 

[helix]

Been reports of all kinds of shortages at the all-inclusives from visitors recently , it will effect tourism soon .  Complaints of resort staff aggressively demanding tips lately , a lot more noticeable pilfering going on further adding to the shortages , understandable given the dire situation but a big turn off that can also become detrimental to tourism numbers. The word spreads quickly and folks will vacation elsewhere . I will as always go and support the Cuban people, hell, maybe even lose a few pounds lol.

[Viva Vegas]

Just got back today from Cuba , taxi driver told us gas is hard to find  and in Vinales we had daily blackouts for short times

[Nino]

2 hours ago, Cigar Surgeon said:

The president exhorted all Cubans to contribute to greater energy efficiency. Workers with state cars should offer rides to others and those who could work from home should do so.

Diaz-Canel assured Cubans the crisis was not a return to the Special Period because the economy now had worldwide alliances and was more diversified.

 

Good joke.

1) The "workers with state cars" have already been busy giving rides to others for money last 20 years ...

2) If you don't work at the office/workplace anyway you will enjoy home work ...:-)

3) "Worldwide diversified alliances" but the "Embargo/Blockade" is to blame ...

Next joke please.

[helix]

Delusional comes to mind.