MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Cubans outraged on social media over shortage of bread

Iris Quiñones had to go on Cuban TV to respond for the shortage of glour and thence of bread.

With 3G technology available only a fortnight ago, Cubans took their anger over to social media to complain for the shortage of bread on the island.

The streets remained calm as usual but online demonstrators even challenged President Miguel Díaz-Canel to account for the unavailability of bread due to a deficit in the supply of flour, which beyond bread had also affected the production of pastries.

The shortage of bread adds to the daily hardships Cubans go through, which include other products being just as scarce.

But unlike these other products, bread has forced Food Industry Minister Iris Quiñones to give explanations on Cuban television to calm down angry citizens who spend long hours in lines at bakeries just for a slice.

In the past weeks packages flour disappeared from the stores' shelves and, with them, much of the bread “by the free”, the loaves that are sold in the market after quotas to be delivered to the population by book supply.

Cuba was estimated at the beginning of the year to be 30,000 tonnes of wheat flour short of meeting its demand but eventually it turned out to be 70,000 tonnes, it was reported.

In addition to bread, Cubans are concerned about growing difficulties to buy eggs and powdered milk.