Soon the Dollar will be opening Shops on the island. So that Havana wants to take foreign currency and the impact of the US Blockade encounter. By the way, the florist should be fought at the end of the System, private goods import.
The business model of Tony Morejón was a round thing. The forty-something from the outskirts of Havana, 17 years of living in Mexico city, with mixes for some time in a courier business from Mexico to Cuba.
For years, Cubans will fly to countries such as Panama, Ecuador or Mexico, Were to take any needs and on the island continue to sell: air conditioners, refrigerators, clothing, auto parts, religious articles. Often, you simply act as “Mulas” (mules) – and more sales people like Tony Morejón care. The usually pay the flight ticket as well as accommodation and meals for several days stay and achieve still handsome profit.
Billion to the state over
Created an extensive, thriving import system in the state. According to estimates by the Miami-based Havana Consulting Group, this business moves every year, around two billion US dollars, the remain abroad. Money, the the chronic foreign-exchange shortage of the Cuban state to be missed.
The market of Mulas drying out
That should change now. Cuba’s government will, in the future, sell household appliances, electric motorcycles and other products directly in the U.S. Dollar and other currencies at lower prices and services for the Import of Goods to offer.
Still, there are no constraints, but the hardships of earlier times are for many Cubans still very aware of.
This is proclaimed part of a new package of Measures, the Vice-President Salvador Valdés Mesa and a number of Ministers on Tuesday evening in a Cuban state television. A remarkable step. In order for foreign exchange and the informal market, the so-called Mulas eliminated taken.
“Then people no longer need to Panama or to travel to the Dominican Republic”, a rating of Alejandro García, who is employed in the private sector, the measure is positive. “But you should have been doing this a long time ago. Billions have been invested over the Mulas in the past few years abroad. What has lost the government because of money!”
Only for hard Dvisen
To a elimination of the Mula system, Reinaldo Carreno, working privately as a carpenter, and his real name not be printed want to see don’t believe, anyway: “clothing and other articles will continue to be privately imported.” Also, García thinks that “the people abroad to buy. The Private will always sell cheaper than the state.” You have to see how the measures will be carefully implemented. He hopes, however, that a television and a cooling-effective cabinets.
At least the Vice-President announced: household appliances, motorcycles and other products would be sold at more competitive prices. The products can be bought only in certain shops with magnetic cards connected with Bank accounts in dollars or other foreign exchange currencies.
Little foreign exchange, thanks to Trump sanctions
“Now, the government falls back to foreign Cubans,” complained Carreno. “Because nothing else to do it: to send money.” To solve this, but nothing, since only a portion of the population could buy in those shops: for Those who have family abroad, the money transfer. “What is the use of refrigerators or air conditioners, if there are not to buy coffee or beer, or tomato puree?”
Through the measures announced, the state hopes to earn foreign exchange to abroad, buy all the everyday stuff and the supply situation improve.
The Trump Administration had recently banned the cruise tourism on the island, money transfers, limited companies and ships that supply Oil to Cuba, sanctioned. By the tightening of the US Blockade of the important foreign exchange revenues, the government in Havana. This, in turn, had led in the past weeks and months, again and again to bottlenecks in the supply of everyday products, such as eggs, cooking oil or flour.
The Peso to the Dollar today, and soon, fears of a Cuban, “we have fifteen or sixteen currencies“.
More and more currencies …
Of in Cuba, next to the Peso Cubano (CUP) circulating, to the US Dollar coupled CUC is convertible, but only on Cuba. Products to buy abroad, the government in Havana of hard currency. A refrigerator that is sold on the island in CUC, not automatically in the currency calculator will convert exchange rate because a large part of the CUC is not covered for foreign exchange.
Cuba self-employed persons may, in the future, Goods and supplies import, also if this is only about state-owned enterprises is possible. There is no limitation for the self-employed, it said.
Economy Minister Alejandro Gil acknowledged that the government is due to a lack of liquidity “will be able to satisfy the domestic demand” and the stability of supply to maintain.
“In the foreign exchange shops that open now, you accept in addition to dollars and euros, Mexican Pesos, Yuan, Canadian Dollar…”, says Schreiner Reinaldo Carreno. “Soon we will have not only two currencies, but fifteen or sixteen.”