Cubans flock to a dozen state-run stores that have opened in Havana selling home appliances and car parts in dollars, as the cash-strapped government struggles to rake in foreign currency for imports
HAVANA - Cubans flocked to a dozen shops that opened in Havana on Monday selling home appliances and spare parts for cars in dollars, as the cash-strapped government struggles to rake in tradable currency to purchase imports and pay its debts.
The country is dependent on fuel, food and other imports it must purchase for tradable international currencies it earns from exports of goods and services such as sugar, tourism and technical assistance, which are all in decline.Joel Palomino, an education professor who rents out a room in his home to tourists, said he had been waiting in line at a store in the Vedado district since dawn to buy an air conditioner.
Clients, seen through a window's glass, buy motorbike spare parts in a shop selling products for dollars in Havana, Cuba, October 28, 2019. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini The government claims the convertible peso is equal to the dollar, but imported appliances and other goods, when available, have huge mark-ups as they must be purchased in tradable currencies while the peso and convertible peso have no value abroad.
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