Cuba extends until March the deadline for duty-free imports of food, hygiene items and medicines

The Cuban government will extend until March 31 the non-commercial, duty-free import of food, medicine and toiletries, without imposing restrictions on their value.

The Ministry of Finance and Prices, in its Resolution No. 280 of 2023, expanded this procedure to include products entering the country via passengers as accompanied baggage.

The organization also issued Resolution 281, which extends permission to do so until the same date Importing power plants with a capacity greater than 900 wattsEven if its value exceeds that determined for air, sea, postal and postal shipments.

The standard indicates that the decision takes into account the benefits that the acquisition of charge power plants brings to the residential sector, given the “emergency” in the energy system.

Last week, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero announced, during a session of the National Assembly, an extension of the customs exemption period, which… This was scheduled to be Sunday, December 31st..

Then Marrero said that The decision was made to keep it in effect despite the existence of this exemption It did not produce the expected result, as it was applied in order to solve people's problems, but in the long term it became a means of “importing products to be resold at speculative prices.”

The leader indicated that they will work to find ways and financing to ensure the stability of the supply in stores in foreign currency, “so that anyone who wants to buy does not have to travel abroad to import something that he can buy here.”

He expressed that it is necessary, “first of all, to ensure a stable supply of foreign currency in stores, if we want to maintain and subsequently increase the proposals for the national store network.”

He also stressed that the government's vision “is not to dollarize the economy at all,” but rather, “we must go through partial dollarization that allows us to raise or increase a group of currencies so that we can position them for the benefit of the economy and the economy.” social development of the country.”

this This measure was taken for the first time after the protests of July 11, 2021As a means of compensating for the general deficit in products already existing in the country.