As of the last week of December, 71 agreements for direct food sales have been signed between agricultural producers and tourism companies, official daily Juventud Rebelde reported.

In an effort to substitute food imports and stimulate private farming, the government passed a decree on Dec. 2 that opened the window for agricultural cooperatives and private farmers to sell their crops directly to hotels and restaurants.

Until then, farmers were only allowed to sell their production beyond the state quota at roadside stands and in farmer’s markets. Hard-currency restaurants received their produce either from state distribution monopoly Acopio or as imports in hard currency.

A farm cooperative in Matanzas province and a hotel in Varadero operated by Spanish company Iberostar signed the first agreement in early December, according to the newspaper. The Iberostar Taínos, intent on improving the variety of the menu and freshness of food in its restaurants, has already bought citrus, papaya, guava, pineapple, tomatoes and cabbage directly from farms in the surrounding province.

While the farmers formally sign agreements with the large state companies that own the hotels and restaurants — such as Cubanacán, Gran Caribe, Islazul and Palmares — they negotiate prices in non-convertible pesos (CUP) and conditions directly with the purchasing manager of each hotel. In Varadero, the restaurants of the Taínos, Las Morlas, Breezes, Bella Costa, Acuazul, Barceló Solymar and Royal Hicacos hotels, as well as the golf course are being supplied directly by farms in the province now. Plans include purchases of flowers and organic produce.

Most of the direct sales contracts — 22 — have been signed for hotels and restaurants in the city of Havana, followed by Matanzas province (12), Camagüey (8), Villa Clara and Granma (seven each), according to Juventud Rebelde. 

The administrator of a private farmers’ cooperative in Matanzas interviewed by the newspaper said that, while the amounts each hotel in Varadero needs are relatively small, once the coop has various hotels under contract, the benefits of selling without intermediaries are “bigger.” “We pull the lettuce at 7 a.m., and it’s in the hotel a little more than an hour later,” he said.

Fresh produce from area farms: Iberostar Taíno in Varadero

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