By CiberCuba Editorial Team
Monday, October 26, 2026 – 11:56
The first 1,000 photovoltaic kits intended for coffee-producing families in eastern Cuba are already in the region, as part of a BioCubaCafé program that plans to distribute 2,000 units with partial funding from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The beneficiaries must pay half of the cost through their income from coffee sales.
BioCubaCafé, a Cuban-Italian joint venture, announced this Monday that it received the first half of the planned solar systems, intended to provide lighting, ventilation, and charging for small electronic devices in rural homes affected by prolonged power outages.
The entity presented the initiative as an alternative for coffee-producing mountainous areas, where the challenges of the national electrical system limit domestic and productive activities.
The kits operate with a 12-volt photovoltaic panel in direct current and do not require an inverter, a feature that, according to their developers, helps reduce costs and simplify installation.
Each unit is equipped with a distribution box that can power five bulbs and has two USB ports for charging cell phones and other small devices.
It also features a fan with its own lamp and battery, which can be recharged via USB ports, as well as a battery designed to store energy for use during the night.
The package includes 20 meters of cable, a clamp, a screwdriver with a voltage tester, and a roll of electrical tape.
BioCubaCafé assured that the families themselves can set up the system without specialized technical assistance and that the system is designed to operate safely.
The company also indicated that some components may vary in brand or appearance depending on the batch, although it claims that their technical specifications will be maintained.
One of the central aspects of the program is its funding structure. The stated cost of each kit is 360 dollars, but the producer will only pay 180 dollars, thanks to the financial contribution provided by the FAO.
According to BioCubaCafé, a comparable system is marketed in the Cuban market for approximately $1,300.
The announced payment mechanism does not require the coffee grower to deliver the 180 dollars in cash immediately. Instead, the amount will be covered by a portion of the income received from the sale of their production.
For the 2026-2027 harvest, BioCubaCafé ensures that it pays 0.60 dollars per can of premium arabica coffee and 0.30 dollars per can of robusta of the same classification, through monthly transfers to the producer’s personal card.
With those rates, the cost of a kit is equivalent to the purchase of 300 cans of Arabica coffee or 600 cans of Robusta, provided they meet the established quality standards.
The company did not specify what percentage of each monthly settlement will be allocated to the team, how much time the producer will have to pay it, nor what the conditions would be in the event of a harvest lower than expected.
It did not specify the number of families that have already been assigned a kit nor did it provide a complete delivery schedule. For now, what is confirmed by the publication is the arrival of the first 1,000 kits in eastern Cuba.
Regarding the selection of beneficiaries, BioCubaCafé announced that priority will be given to coffee growers who exceeded the production commitments of the previous harvest.
The company described this criterion as a way to acknowledge the performance of producers and encourage greater results in the current campaign.
In this way, access to the systems will not depend solely on each family’s electricity needs, but also on their production history, at least in the first stage announced.
The program is part of other measures aimed at supporting the coffee harvest for 2026-2027 in eastern Cuba, a region that also experienced the effects of Hurricane Melissa in October 2025.
Among the mentioned actions are payments in foreign currency, tripartite contracts between producers, the Agroforestry Group, and BioCubaCafé, the supply of food, technological packages, and the provision of fuel, lubricants, and bags for collection.
The new system arrives at a time when other entities related to coffee have also announced changes in their compensation mechanisms.
Less than a week ago, the Eladio Machín Coffee Processing Company in Cienfuegos, announced it would pay its harvest workers in foreign currency, although it did not specify the currency, the amounts, or when the payments would start.
These initiatives reflect a growing use of compensation mechanisms linked to foreign currencies in certain productive activities, although the modalities and conditions are not necessarily similar among companies.
The initiative aimed at coffee growers is not the first solar energy access program announced in Cuba during 2026.
In February, the authorities in Camagüey reported on the distribution of solar panels to 180 workers in the education sector.
The program included equipment for teachers’ housing, with payment options through bank credits, but it faced criticism from citizens who questioned the number of beneficiaries and the selection criteria.
That same month it was revealed that the solar modules intended for certain Heroes and Heroines of Labor had a price of 75,200 Cuban pesos, despite being presented as part of a state program for labor incentives.
Furthermore, in March, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero announced that the Government would complete the installation of more than 10,250 photovoltaic systems for teachers, doctors, and Heroes of Labor, in addition to 5,000 modules for isolated communities and priority centers.
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A team of journalists committed to reporting on Cuban current affairs and topics of global interest. At CiberCuba, we work to deliver truthful news and critical analysis.

A team of journalists committed to reporting on Cuban current affairs and topics of global interest. At CiberCuba, we work to deliver truthful news and critical analysis.

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