Yesterday, during his weekly show on state-run television, renowned Cuban economic analyst Ariel Terrero recommended that the Cuban government place the management of certain sectors of the economy in “hands” other than the state’s. Although Terrero avoided using the word “privatization,” he explained that the Cuban government cannot successfully run the entire economy on its own and sectors like the food industry and certain types of small commerce can potentially be more productive if “new formulas” are put into practice.
Raúl Castro’s government, which currently controls close to 90 percent of the island’s economy, has recently taken similar actions to those suggested by Terrero by distributing state-owned land among 80,000 people.