Cuba loosens control of its private sector in a struggle with a mounting humanitarian crisis
Summary
Cuba is easing government controls on its private sector to tackle a growing humanitarian crisis. The country will allow private businesses to import and sell some goods and medicines and loosen rules for foreign oil companies, aiming to address shortages in medicine, energy, and other supplies.Key Facts
- Cuba’s government approved reforms to reduce restrictions on private vendors and imports.
- The changes let private pharmacies sell medicines, which were often in short supply at state pharmacies.
- Foreign companies can now have more freedom to extract oil in Cuba.
- The reforms remove 46 prohibitions and relax 35 other rules on private business.
- Some sectors, like tobacco production, internet access, newspapers, and radio, remain controlled by the state.
- The United States imposed an oil blockade on Cuba in January to pressure the government, worsening shortages and blackouts.
- Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said the country cannot continue with its current economic path.
- Many private sales in Cuba’s informal market were previously not legal but widely used by people struggling to meet daily needs.
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