It is possible to continue importing food, medicine and hygiene to Cuba: the government has extended the measure that exempts from tariff payments before the General Customs of the Republic.
The Cuban government has announced a new extension for the free importation of food, medicines and non-commercial hygiene products. Now the measure is extended until January 2025. An initiative that is fundamental in the midst of the critical economic situation facing the island, aggravated by the shortage of basic products, continuous electrical blackouts and growing inflation.
The announcement was made official in the most recent publication of the Official Gazette, highlighting that travelers arriving in the country can continue bringing these products without restrictions in terms of quantity or value and will be exempt from paying tariffs.
What can you take to Cuba?
This measure applies to both accompanied and unaccompanied baggage, and to air, sea and postal shipments, as long as the products are not for commercial purposes.
Adopted after the massive protests of July 11, 2021, the measure and its continuous extensions seek to alleviate the basic needs of the population. In a context in which the government is increasingly less self-sufficient to satisfy the most urgent needs of the population, which suffers a severe shortage of food and medicine, as well as personal hygiene products.
The measure has a significant impact, especially for families who depend on these shipments from abroad to cover their essential needs. But it also allows small local businesses to be supplied, and this results in greater access for the population to deficient products.
Temporary relief
This extension of the import policy is seen as a temporary relief in the serious supply crisis that Cuba is going through. Free importation has allowed many Cubans who have family abroad to receive products essential for their survival, which would otherwise be difficult or impossible to acquire in local stores, where the prices of the few products available have skyrocketed.
Despite the benefits that this measure has provided, the Cuban government recognizes that this is only a temporary solution. The island continues to face serious structural problems that complicate self-sufficiency in food production and medicine manufacturing. The authorities continue with tight control over non-state businesses and urge them to continue working on the reactivation of local production. Something that, together with international sanctions and trade restrictions, further limits access to basic resources.
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