According to a recent survey by the Cuban Citizen Audit Observatory (OCAC), at least 30,000 Cuban pesos monthly are needed to cover basic food needs. However, the minimum wage in Cuba is 2,100 CUP, and the minimum pension, even after the increase announced for September, will barely reach 3,056 CUP. The numbers simply do not add up.
The OCAC report, titled “Without a countryside, there is no country, and with GAESA, there is no future”, bluntly points out that the root cause of hunger in Cuba is primarily political. It is not just about inflation or natural phenomena, but rather a failed and centralized economic model that stifles the independent agricultural sector and prioritizes the military-business apparatus (GAESA) over the needs of the people.
Meanwhile, more than 80% of the food consumed in Cuba is imported, many of which come from the United States. The state budget continues to allocate 13 times more resources to tourism than to agriculture.
The calculation of OCAC aligns with estimates from independent economist Omar Everleny Pérez, who pointed out that the food basket for two people in Havana cost 24,351 CUP at the end of 2024. When expenses such as transportation, clothing, internet, and hygiene are added, the cost of living skyrockets to over 45,000 pesos per month for a couple.
This is compounded by the deterioration of the rationing system. Since May 2024, eggs have not been distributed via the ration booklet, and basic products arrive incomplete or with delays of several months. “Today, a carton of eggs can cost up to 3,900 pesos, more than a full minimum pension”, the report states.
The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights warned back in 2024 that 89% of Cuban families live in extreme poverty, and that 7 out of 10 people have stopped having breakfast, lunch, or dinner due to lack of money or scarcity.
The testimonies confirm it. A doctor on maternity leave in Sancti Spíritus explained months ago that she needed two months' salary to buy a can of powdered milk for her daughter. An engineer showed her monthly shopping: onions, green tomatoes, and garlic for nearly 3,000 pesos. No meat, no beans, no rice.
Even the government has admitted the obvious. "With an average salary of 6,000 pesos, one cannot live", said Vice President Salvador Valdés Mesa in February. However, he did not provide any solutions.
Starting in September, more than 1.3 million retirees will receive an increase in their pensions. Those receiving the minimum will see their payments rise from 1,528 to 3,056 pesos. Nevertheless, this amount only allows, in the best case, to buy food for three days, instead of one and a half.
The gap between income and the cost of living leaves little room for hope. With 70% of household income allocated to food, yet still insufficient, food insecurity has become the norm, not the exception.
What do the experts propose?
OCAC proposes structural measures that include dismantling the GAESA monopoly, ensuring private property rights for farmers, allowing the free trade of agricultural products, opening the economy to investment from the diaspora, and promoting agricultural development banking. However, beyond the economic aspects, it suggests that without profound political changes, there will be no food on the table—something many are already thinking quietly.
How does a Cuban live on salaries that barely cover the cost of food? The answer remains the same: they survive as best as they can, relying on outside help, turning to the black market, standing in endless lines, or simply going without meals.
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