FROM
CUBA Food scarcity becoming critical in eastern Cuba province SANTIAGO
DE CUBA, Cuba, March 9 (Jorge Ramón Castillo, ICDPRESS / www.cubanet.org)
- The 25,000 residents of Campechuela, in easternmost Granma province, are facing
food shortages approaching the critical point as a result of the prolonged drought
affecting the region. The one local market, operated by the government,
gets one shipment per week of produce, and every Saturday, market day, long lines
form before dawn of consumers who hope to buy their allotment of two kilograms
of each product available. Sometimes, fights break out. Last week, one
woman punched out another who tried to buy plantains before her without having
waited her turn in line. Often, more than half of those waiting come out empty-handed. Residents
despair of a ready solution to the problem. They say government authorities have
sounded the alarm, but give no clue to the possible solutions. Versión
original en español |