As the economic crisis in Cuba rages, its citizens are not feeling any holiday cheer this Christmas as the government has announced some dire austerity measures. This comes amid continued US sanctions and the country falling short on its tourism industry.

Many Cubans are leaving the country as the economic crisis forces many to flee, fueling a massive and record-breaking migration of nearly half a million people. Many of them are trying to get to the United States and traveling across Central America as they trek to the US-Mexico border.

Currently, prices are surging thanks to inflation, and the food situation in Cuba remains dire as the production of Cuban staples such as pork, rice, and beans has plunged 80% in 2023. This comes as the wages for workers in this Communist country remain stagnant.

"You see everyone enjoying Christmas in the movies. It just makes me sad," Cuban craft vendor Melani Ramos told Reuters as she and her family feel the economic pinch this Christmas season. "It's a very quiet day here for a day that should mean unity, hope, and family."

She told the outlet that very few homes would be enjoying traditional Cuban meals like roast pork, black beans, and cassava as the rest of the country continues to suffer in its economic crisis during the holidays.

Cuba Government Defends Plans To Cut Rations or Increase Prices

As Cubans feel the pinch during Christmas, the Cuban government has laid out some extreme austerity measures that would not make the populace happy, especially during the holiday season, with plans to either reduce rations for basic supplies or increase prices for fuel and electricity.

READ MORE: Caribbean Christmas: How Some Caribbean Islands Celebrate the Holiday Season

Cuba President Miguel Díaz-Cane admitted that these t measures were needed for difficult times as the country faces massive inflation and only a 1-2% economic growth for 2023. Inflation ran at about 30% this year, with the country also experiencing massive problems in tourism, industry, and agriculture, which are Cuba's main sources of income, according to the Associated Press,

"This is a question of complicated measures, as complicated as are these times," said the Cuban president. "I emphatically deny that this is a neo-liberal plan against the people, nor a crusade against small businesses, nor an elimination of the basic market basket." This basic market basket is something Cubans can get with government coupons.

Cuba Plans To Increase Prices or Decrease Rations Announced by Prime Minister

Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz was the one who made the announcement while he was speaking before the National Assembly, saying the government was unhappy about "not having made the necessary progress" this year.

Cuba is blaming the economic crisis on the decades-long US embargo as usual. However, Marrero acknowledged that Cuba has failed to achieve a sustainable increase in national production, according to El Pais. He added, "We could have done more things. Insufficiencies of our own and subjective problems persist that affect the capacity of economic programs and projections."

READ MORE: Pope Francis Wants Cuba to Release Cuban Protesters Arrested in 2021

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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