Our economy is preparing for further sanctions after Donald Trump comes to power, said Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel. In his speech, he noted that the year just ended was “one of the worst in the last decade.”
Diaz-Canel, who spoke at the end of the session of Cuba's Assembly of People's Power, said: “We practically live from day to day.
Sanctions are hitting the Cuban economy
– Society rightly complains about delays in the distribution of rationed goods such as bread and milk, medicines and other essential products, which is caused by the decline of the Cuban GDP by nearly 2 percent – said the president.
– The coming year will be remembered as one of the hardest for Cubans in the last decade, said Diaz-Canel, pointing to the cause of such a deep crisis as “the tightening of the American blockade of Cuba in response to our country being included on the list of those that allegedly support terrorism.”
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Lack of electricity, fuel and drinking water
During this year, as the media from Latin American countries reminds, Cubans were most severely affected by long interruptions in fuel supplies and huge queues at gas stations, as well as frequent interruptions in the supply of electricity and drinking water. All this was compounded by natural disasters – two cyclones and several earthquakes.
Instead of expected revenues from foreign tourism, traditionally an important pillar of the Cuban budget, this year's receipts were much lower, as only 2.2 million people visited the island, 800,000 fewer than last year.
The crisis of the Cuban economy began in 2020, which was influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic and tightening sanctions from the United States.
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