A resident of Camagüey reported the sale of rice with foul odor and dirt in a state-owned store in the La Rubia neighborhood, triggering hundreds of comments on social media from others who claim to have received similar products in various locations.
According to the report posted on Facebook by Carlos Pimentel Esquijarosa, the almacén in that area was selling the disputed cereal for 155 pesos, “as if it were a great achievement or revolutionary milestone,” while the foul smell and dirt made one doubt calling it rice.
Pimentel reported that upon seeing the product he felt “cold” and insisted that he refused to purchase it because it had “a terrible stench and was filthy to the core.” He described the situation as “a lack of respect” for the population and expressed his outrage at the quality of the food distributed through the state commercial system.
The complaint, the man from Camagüey expressed, aims to show the world how “communism treats us ordinary people.” “What does this government think we are?” he indignantly questioned, and added: “How long will the damned dictatorship continue to treat us like dogs?”
The message, accompanied by photos and a video, and using very strong language that reflects accumulated frustration, generated numerous reactions among internet users, many of whom supported the complaint and linked it to the enormous food crisis the country is facing.
Some claimed to have received similar rice in their warehouses and described it as "dirty," "smelly," or "inedible." One user stated that she bought it for her dog and, after cleaning it, found it to be less than the expected quantity and full of impurities.
Other comments noted that the rice being distributed could correspond to reserves that have been stored for a long time, which the government sells in commercial establishments when they are already expired or in a significantly deteriorated state, while using food donations that arrive in the country to replenish the stock.
The publication also reflected the climate of frustration among many Cubans regarding the deterioration of basic food supplies. Several comments described the situation as an "abuse" or a demonstration of the precariousness faced by the population.
In recent years, rice —one of the fundamental and identifying foods of the Cuban diet— has faced severe supply issues in the state distribution network and a sustained rise in prices in the informal market.
Since the end of 2025, citizen reports indicated that the product had greatly surpassed 300 pesos per pound in the black market, reflecting the decline in supply and the deterioration of the population's purchasing power.
Likewise, economists and other experts have systematically denounced the dramatic decline in national grain production over the past decades and the government's ineffective policies to address this issue.
The distribution of rice through the regulated family basket continues to be irregular in several provinces, with frequent delays that can reach several months beyond the established delivery date and in very limited quantities. This forces most families to seek alternatives in informal markets or to rely on remittances and food "combos" sent from abroad.
For many, like the Camagüeyan Carlos Pimentel Esquijarosa, this particular issue cannot be viewed in isolation from the country's overall crisis. "No to hunger. No to misery. No to deceit. No more dictatorship," he wrote in his denunciation.
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