Cuba asks for powdered milk, WFP delivers

Cuba has asked for help from the World Food Program to provide powdered milk to local children under seven amid a shortage of the drink, state media said Monday.

WFP said it had already started delivering milk powder to the island, BBC reports.

Cuba said that 375 tons of milk powder will arrive in Cuba in the coming days.

Cuba has been providing a liter of subsidized milk to children every day for decades but the country is experiencing an economic crisis in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic coupled with the continuing United States sanction.

In February, authorities in Havana acknowledged they were not able to provide all the milk usually made available to the country’s children through the “libreta” — a ration book with which one can buy staples at a subsidized price.

They also admitted “financial and logistical constraints” for wheat and flour obtained through the “libreta.”

According to official estimates, the Cuban economy shrank by two percent in 2023, while inflation reached 30 percent. Independent experts say this is likely an underestimation.

The country, which has seen a historic wave of emigration in recent years, is also finding it increasingly difficult to produce and import basic foodstuffs. Official data shows that agricultural production fell by 35 percent between 2019 and 2023.

And in September, the government said it was now importing “almost 100 percent” or ration book staples even as Cubans deal with chronic shortages of fuel and other basics.