International Cuba asks UN for help as food shortages worsen

[KOPPE]

Cuba's government has for the first time asked the UN's food programme for help as food shortages on the Communist-run island worsen.
The World Food Programme (WFP) said it had received an unprecedented official request from the Cuban government for help providing powdered milk to children under seven years of age.
The request is a sign of the seriousness of Cuba's economic crisis.
As well as a shortage of milk, fuel and medicines are also running low.
The WFP confirmed to Spanish news agency Efe that it been approached by the Cuban government to "continue the monthly delivery of 1kg [35oz] of milk for girls and boys under the age of seven throughout the country".
The WFP said it had already started delivering milk powder to the island.

Powdered milk and other basic foods are provided to Cubans at a subsidised price through ration books, but delays and lack of supplies are common, especially at times of economic hardship.
The system was first introduced in 1962 by Cuban leader Fidel Castro after the United States imposed sanctions on the island, which exacerbated shortages.
The Cuban government continues to blame the ongoing US sanctions for the dire state of its economy but critics say government mismanagement is behind the current economic crisis - the worst in three decades.
Last year, Vice-Prime Minister Jorge Luis Tapia Fonseca did concede that progress in making Cuba more self-sufficient was lagging and blamed Cuban workers, whom he said lacked a "culture of productivity".
"Work is needed to produce food. We all expect to be sent food, but we do nothing to produce it," he said in July.
Shortages of milk have become worse since, with interior commerce minister Betsy Díaz warning earlier this month that deliveries for children aged between six months and two years had been delayed.

Cuba asks UN for help as food shortages worsen

The Cuban government says it needs help providing children under seven years with subsidised milk.

www.bbc.com

 

[KOPPE]

retarded conservatives: "socialism bad"
reality: The 60+ year-long US blockade still prevents Cuba from importing all sorts of goods, from food staples to agricultural technology.

 

[Chad R. Thundercock]

retarded conservatives: "socialism bad"
reality: The 60+ year-long US blockade still prevents Cuba from importing all sorts of goods, from food staples to agricultural technology.

According to Wikipedia:

In Cuba, the embargo is commonly called el bloqueo (the blockade).[8] The United States has threatened to stop financial aid to other countries if they trade non-food items with Cuba.

Since 2000, the embargo has explicitly excluded the acquisition of food and medicines.[79]

 

[KOPPE]

According to Wikipedia:

In Cuba, the embargo is commonly called el bloqueo (the blockade).[8] The United States has threatened to stop financial aid to other countries if they trade non-food items with Cuba.

Since 2000, the embargo has explicitly excluded the acquisition of food and medicines.[79]

yes but they make the sanctions be complex and include secondary sanctions to cause overcompliance so they are not "technically" blocking certain things even though they effectively are.
also read this https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1958-60v06/d499

its just like how other countries are sort of free to trade with Cuba, BUT companies affiliated with the US or with US citizens face risks of sanctions if they engage in Cuban trade. And this is sadly no limited to such companies, which in reality means many choose not to trade.
The issues is actually transport; no company that ships to the US is permitted to ship to Cuba, so basically every company operating in the Caribbean avoids it. To say nothing of possible US interdiction There is a huge disincentive to anyone trying.
If you are a food company would you risk investing In Cuba's economy? not worth it with all the strict regulations.

 

[nostradumbass]

Lol, another socialist success story, and the country's own vice prime minster says it's because the whole country is full of lazy bums, but TS has decided it's because the US won't prop up their dicatorship.

 

[KOPPE]

Lol, another socialist success story, and the country's own vice prime minster says it's because the whole country is full of lazy bums, but TS has decided it's because the US won't prop up their dicatorship.

oh yeah The 60+ year-long US blockade did not effect Cuba's economic growth at all. its the lazy bums
who dont want to work!
theres so many jobs and opportunities in Cuba what is wrong with these people?

 

[Yehudim]

yes but they make the sanctions be complex and include secondary sanctions to cause overcompliance so they are not "technically" blocking certain things even though they effectively are.
also read this https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1958-60v06/d499

its just like how other countries are sort of free to trade with Cuba, BUT companies affiliated with the US or with US citizens face risks of sanctions if they engage in Cuban trade. And this is sadly no limited to such companies, which in reality means many choose not to trade.
The issues is actually transport; no company that ships to the US is permitted to ship to Cuba, so basically every company operating in the Caribbean avoids it. To say nothing of possible US interdiction There is a huge disincentive to anyone trying.
If you are a food company would you risk investing In Cuba's economy? not worth it with all the strict regulations.

It’s interesting how these arguments literally have no credibility with Cuban people. That is, people who actually lived in Cuba don’t blame the US for their issues, but on a corrupt and ineffective ruling party.

 

[Hog-train]

I don't understand why the US still has this outdated embargo. It's a relic of a time when we were afraid of Russian style communism taking hold in the Americas.

 

[JudoThrowFiasco]

Oh....no

https://havanatimes.org/features/why-isnt-there-more-food-in-cuba/

 

[NoSmilez]

Cubans lack the means to produce food. They can't get fertilizers etc etc. The embargos aren't the sole reason for their plight. They had a few natural disasters and there is widespread corruption. I will admit it was odd that the Trump administration decided to put Cuba back on the state sponsored terrorism list. The embargo is there because America can afford to have it. It doesn't hurt the US at all but it cripples Cuba for some industries.

 

[nostradumbass]

oh yeah The 60+ year-long US blockade did not effect Cuba's economic growth at all. its the lazy bums
who dont want to work!
theres so many jobs and opportunities in Cuba what is wrong with these people?

And your theory is that the trade embargo just kicked in and caused a food shortage 60 years later?

You're almost there with your last sentence. Correct, there is really not any opportunity for people in Cuba, yet somehow Fidel Castro amassed nearly $1 billion for himself because he turned an entire country into his own slave plantation.

 

[KOPPE]

And your theory is that the trade embargo just kicked in and caused a food shortage 60 years later?

Yes. The United States’ embargo crippled Cuba’s economy which is devastating the people of Cuba.
How are we even debating this?

 

[Super_Nintendo]

 

[Rod1]

retarded conservatives: "socialism bad"

Socialism bad.

reality: The 60+ year-long US blockade still prevents Cuba from importing all sorts of goods, from food staples to agricultural technology.

No, it doesn't, chronic shortage of cash and having a very bad credit rating after swindling over 50 billion out of investors and loans over the course of 30 years or so kind of makes people not want to loan you any more money.

 

[Rod1]

Cubans lack the means to produce food. They can't get fertilizers etc etc. The embargos aren't the sole reason for their plight. They had a few natural disasters and there is widespread corruption. I will admit it was odd that the Trump administration decided to put Cuba back on the state sponsored terrorism list. The embargo is there because America can afford to have it. It doesn't hurt the US at all but it cripples Cuba for some industries.

Communism for thee, capitalism for mee.

Cubans lack the means to produce food because Cuba had this genius idea of "liberalizing" farms without liberalizing prices, so they ask small producers to produce food but then government officials come and put whatever random fucking prize they want on food, like the fucking Sheriff of Nothingham taxing everyone into oblivion.


Its ironic @Yehudim how communism resembles so fucking much the middle ages with kings and feudal lords.

 

[Rod1]

I don't understand why the US still has this outdated embargo. It's a relic of a time when we were afraid of Russian style communism taking hold in the Americas.

I don't understand why Cuba still remains a Marxist-Leninist repressive regime instead of you know, having free and fair elections and then have people remain socialist if they want to.

 

[Fluffernutter]

Cubans lack the means to produce food. They can't get fertilizers etc etc. The embargos aren't the sole reason for their plight. They had a few natural disasters and there is widespread corruption. I will admit it was odd that the Trump administration decided to put Cuba back on the state sponsored terrorism list. The embargo is there because America can afford to have it. It doesn't hurt the US at all but it cripples Cuba for some industries.

...and Florida has a lot of electoral votes

 

[Rod1]

...and Florida has a lot of electoral votes

The embargo has a lot of sunset clauses that would make it go away if the regime decided to not be so fucking awful.

Also the embargo wouldn't had done shit if Cuba had adopted a Chinese or Vietnamese type reforms after the fall of the USSR, but Cuban regime prioritizes control over the welfare of its population.

 

[nostradumbass]

Yes. The United States’ embargo crippled Cuba’s economy which is devastating the people of Cuba.
How are we even debating this?

It didn't stop Fidel Castro from getting a billion dollars for himself. Dude had enough money to give everybody in Cuba $85,000 (170 years worth of the average income) instead of hoarding all the money to live a baller lifestyle himself while everyone else is begging for powdered milk and making $525/year. "Equality" turned into "get out there and earn for me, bitch" real quick.

 

[Luthien]