In Cuba, too, many are hoping for an upswing after the long months of the corona pandemic: The government says it is trying to control rising prices and alleviate the scarcity. Economy Minister Alejandro Gil said Tuesday at a session of the National Assembly in the capital Havana that recovery from the recession caused by the pandemic was taking hold. They finally want to produce more again and hope to end the current year with a growth in gross domestic product of around 2%. O-Ton: “The inflation rate in the country will be over 70% this year, and it will be at least 10 percentage points higher than planned. This is a problem that we have to face. Inflation has led us to We have to correct that, and we have to work in that direction, that is one of the goals of the 2022 plan. And as we have already said, it will not be easy, but it is not impossible either . ” Cuba’s predominantly state-owned economy, described by critics as inefficient, had shrunk by almost 11 percent in 2020. The pandemic had brought tourism to a standstill, and the US government under President Donald Trump had tightened the decades-old blockade with new sanctions. Residents of Havana say about the current situation: Original sound: “The prices (for food) are very high, both in the markets and on the street in state and private institutions. With these prices the consumers are ripped off.” O-Ton: “Everything has become more expensive, it is no longer affordable. The prices do not correspond to the salaries; we can hardly buy anything, although the wages have risen. O-Ton:” Pork used to cost 45 Cuban pesos per pound, and now they are selling it for up to 250 pesos. There are places where a pound of steak costs 280 pesos. “And the CAFE attendant, ANA LIDIA DE LA VEGA, SAYS,” Hoarders and resellers are driving up the prices of things we normally buy in the retail market. Inflation is making itself felt in the food markets; daily prices rise. So buying raw materials is very complicated, and if they raise the prices of the raw materials, we have to raise the prices too, otherwise it would not be profitable. “Economy Minister Gil says the aim is for economic growth of 4% for the coming year With this in mind, says Gil, important measures are currently being taken to stimulate growth and increase domestic production: for example, granting state-owned companies more autonomy and further legalizing small and medium-sized private companies.