{"id":10666,"date":"2025-07-30T14:45:04","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T11:45:04","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-07-30T14:45:04","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T11:45:04","slug":"cubas-private-sector-overtakes-state-retail-for-the-first-time-in-historic-shift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harici.com.tr\/en\/cubas-private-sector-overtakes-state-retail-for-the-first-time-in-historic-shift\/","title":{"rendered":"Cuba&#8217;s private sector overtakes state retail for the first time in historic shift"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-spacing=\"double\">Cuba&#8217;s private sector has reached a historic milestone in 2024, surpassing state-controlled stores in retail sales value for the first time.<\/p>\n<p data-spacing=\"double\">According to preliminary data released by the National Statistics Office, the private sector&#8217;s share of retail sales increased to 55% this year, up from 44% the previous year.<\/p>\n<p data-spacing=\"double\">This shift comes as goods shortages and rising prices reshape daily life in the country.<\/p>\n<p data-spacing=\"double\"><strong>Private imports increased as the state economy contracted<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-spacing=\"double\">While the state-controlled economy has contracted by 11% over the last five years, private importers brought in over $1 billion worth of goods last year.<\/p>\n<p data-spacing=\"double\">According to Economy Minister Joaquin Alonso&#8217;s statement to the National Assembly this month, this figure represents a 34% increase compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, the country&#8217;s total imports have declined.<\/p>\n<p data-spacing=\"double\">As state stores grapple with supply shortages, private businesses are stepping in to meet demand in every area, from groceries to electronics.<\/p>\n<p data-spacing=\"double\"><strong>The public seeks in private markets what it cannot find in state stores<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-spacing=\"double\">Bustling street markets, such as the 100th Street Bridge Fair in Havana, are at the center of this new economic reality.<\/p>\n<p data-spacing=\"double\">In these markets, where everything from food to clothing is sold, consumers have more options but generally face higher prices due to the lack of state subsidies.<\/p>\n<p data-spacing=\"double\">Entrepreneur Diamela Garcia, who has a stall at the market, explained the situation to the <em>Reuters<\/em> news agency, stating, &#8220;This solves a large part of the problem because when people can&#8217;t find something in state stores, they can come here to these other options and find it in the private sector.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-spacing=\"double\"><strong>Transition to a mixed economy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-spacing=\"double\">According to official figures, approximately 1.6 million of Cuba&#8217;s 4-million-strong workforce, or one in every four workers, are now employed in the private sector.<\/p>\n<p data-spacing=\"double\">In 1968, all private businesses in the country were nationalized, but the role of private enterprise has been gradually expanded since the early 1990s following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.<\/p>\n<p data-spacing=\"double\">Speaking to <em>Reuters<\/em>, Amet Perez, one of the market managers, highlighted the importance of granting more opportunities to the private sector, <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" spellcheck=\"false\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/americas\/first-time-decades-cubas-private-sector-outweighs-state-2025-07-29\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" data-darkreader-inline-color=\"\">saying<\/a><\/span>, &#8220;This is a good idea because it&#8217;s not just about making sales but also about creating employment. People can work for themselves; they can be their own bosses, as they say.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-spacing=\"double\">This transformation is expected to reshape the country&#8217;s labor market, household spending, and its relationship with the global economy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cuba&#8217;s private sector has reached a historic milestone in 2024, surpassing state-controlled stores in retail sales value for the first time. According to preliminary data released by the National Statistics Office, the private sector&#8217;s share of retail sales increased to 55% this year, up from 44% the previous year. This shift comes as goods shortages [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10667,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[176],"tags":[1407,4926,11714,11715,11719,11718,11721,4132,11717,11722,11716,6685,8028,11713,11720],"class_list":["post-10666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-america","tag-cuba","tag-cuban-economy","tag-economic-shift","tag-goods-shortages","tag-havana","tag-joaquin-alonso","tag-mixed-economy","tag-national-assembly","tag-national-statistics-office","tag-private-enterprise","tag-private-imports","tag-private-sector","tag-retail-sales","tag-state-controlled-stores","tag-street-markets"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Cuba&#039;s private sector overtakes state retail for the first time in historic shift - 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