February

Havana/Reluctant to buy gasoline after the increase this Friday in fuel prices, Cubans received another bad news about the energy crisis: Venezuela sent only 34,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil to the island in February – according to Reuters–, an amount slightly higher than that of January and 39% lower than the monthly average of 56,000 bpd recorded in 2023.

Caracas, which faces a potential return of US sanctions in April, has launched a race against time to sell as much fuel as possible – it managed to export 670,000 bpd in February – but Havana does not seem to be a priority. The American company Chevron and other oil companies with projects in Venezuela are trying to get the biggest cut before Washington restricts the sale, says specialist Jorge Piñón, from the University of Texas.

Mexico has come to the rescue, whose Government has sent to Cuba, in the first two months of this year, some 1,970,000 barrels of its best crude oil, the Isthmus and the Olmeca, which compensates for the collapse of Venezuelan shipments. Piñón, who had predicted the fall before knowing the Reuters data, told this newspaper that there are still some variables to be resolved, such as the amount of oil sent by Russia – Cuba’s third supplier – or whether Mexico, even at the expense of its own economy, will continue to send fuel to the Island.

Despite this, it is expected that in Cuba the impact of the lean season will be felt, more than in other Venezuelan oil allies. According to the tablets that on Friday morning – day one of package– They already appeared in some of the service centers, special gasoline now costs 156 pesos or 1.30 dollars instead of 30 pesos; regular and diesel at 132 or 1.10, instead of 25 and motor (motorcycle fuel) at 114 pesos or 0.95 dollars, instead of 20 pesos. That is, more than 400% increase in all cases and up to 470% for motorcycle fuel.

Cubans received the new rates with reluctance and, just 48 hours after their implementation, this Saturday, they are already beginning to “discover” problems. The payment terminal at the Infanta and San Rafael service center in Havana, essential for electronic payment, “has already broken,” its workers informed the four drivers in line. “Go to the Cupet de Línea and E,” they suggested to the incredulous gaze of the drivers: at that gas station you can only pay “in dollars.”

The Línea y E, in El Vedado, is one of the 30 service centers enabled throughout the Island to charge in foreign currency. An article published this Saturday in Cubadebate – and flooded since Friday by an avalanche of criticism from readers – notified which gas stations on the Island could be paid with the Cuban Clásica card, the prepaid one in dollars from Bandec and the Traveler Card, in addition to the Russian Mir card, Visa and Mastercard, the Chinese Unionpay, the AIS (American International Service) and the Argentine Cabal.

However, payment with Freely Convertible Currency (MLC) cards or cash is not accepted.

The Government also announced that 216 Cadeca branches (Exchange Houses) – most located in hotels or tourist areas – will sell the Classic card, created by Fincimex for the purchase of fuel in foreign currency. This newspaper verified that this Saturday the Línea y E service center was selling gasoline to anyone who could pay for it. The license plates of the vehicles parked next to the dispensers, as expected, sported the T of the tourist license plate.

“The average Cuban doesn’t fill the tank here,” commented a passerby when he saw the drivers “with fine clothes” and “good cars” who parked on Línea and E. The only dispenser enabled was the special gasoline dispenser and at the door The establishment displayed the colorful notice with the only cards accepted.

“I have already lived this story,” lamented several readers of Cubadebate, alluding to the little usefulness of MLC cards compared to foreign or Classic cards. “Why is the MLC card, which is based on the dollar, euro and Canadian dollar, not useful for us to buy fuel?”

“Is part of the internal trade in Cuba dollarized again? What is the explanation for excluding the MLC from the purchase of fuel? It seems crazy,” one user complained. Another anticipated several new businesses in the informal market: on the one hand, “tourists buying fuel in Cuban pesos to avoid spending in dollars” or, on the contrary, Cubans with family abroad who charge for “borrowing” their card. Visa or Mastercard.

The situation at gas stations where you pay in pesos denounces other problems. “They are only selling to state entities due to lack of fuel,” said a reporter from this newspaper from the La Bujía service center, in Manzanillo, province of Granma. However, a Moskvitch with a particular badge was also waiting in line.

At the Cupet de Chambelón, in Sancti Spíritus, misinformation about the new prices prevailed this Saturday. “They don’t even have the new rates sign up,” lamented one customer. In Cupet de Garaita, also in that province, where it was sold according to the new prices, there were only two types of gasoline. In Yayabo, on the other hand, “the service is very slow,” noted another reporter from 14 intervene.

In Cubadebatewhere censorship seems to have neglected its comment filter this Saturday, readers draw their own conclusions about the situation: “One more step towards the dollarization of the Cuban economy, or in other words, one more step to take away its purchasing power and payment in the Cuban peso.”