The shortage of grains for coffee production in Cuba is already evident, not only because of the actual lack of supplies to the winery, but also because the main roaster on the island, UEB 8 Vías, has all the supplies. The equipment stopped, and weeks ago they had to start making croquettes, at least to earn enough money to pay the workers’ salaries.
State media Trabajodores reports that Cuba is running out of beans to make coffee and the coming months are not very happy. As we have already closed the month of August as there are loans from June and July, there is a severe shortfall in delivery through the book of regulated products.
“We’re in August, and nationally we’re only done with coffee for the first five months of the year. We bear the deficit for the months of June and July, although we produce social consumption (the minimum level for mortuary homes, hospitals and very few institutions), tourism and internal consumption in foreign currency”, Accurate Daniel Davis Hernandez, Production Technology Director, CubaCafe.
In the absence of coffee, the largest Cuban roasting company produces croquettes
With grain shortages and zero production in recent months, the main roaster in Cuba has had to juggle with ten others as cash flows and wages drop. The prospects are not optimistic and the annual plan is not expected to materialize.
“Throughout the year, the prospects are not very optimistic. Since agriculture has already finished its deliveries, you will have to wait until October or November. Every month, 740 tonnes of cereals, including peas, are required nationally to produce 1,180 tonnes of basic basket. But August is starting and we don’t have the raw materials to restart production,” the Cubacaf official admitted.
What are these workers doing to avoid losing their wages? Based on this information they decided on “fish croquettes”. But they already have other plans to work on “sesame seeds, peanuts, soybeans scale,” he said.
