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A Cuban identified as Hugo Mutis posted last Friday on Facebook a photograph of five small, damaged sweet potatoes for which he paid 200 Cuban pesos (CUP), along with a question that encapsulates the despair of millions: "What kind of prosperous and sustainable socialism are these lunatics talking about?".
The image, taken with his phone in a home setting, shows the tubers on the tiled floor. Mutis described them as "even ugly" and questioned why no one in a position of authority or responsibility is putting a stop to the price abuses.
"Not everything is about the blockade and extraterritorial measures, because the greatest blockade, and the one that harms us the most, is the internal one and the misguided measures that have produced no results," Mutis wrote, directly pointing to the Cuban state as the main responsible party.
The author also denounced the collapse of the state distribution system: the stores have gone months without distributing rice or other basic products. "Just four beans, one pound of sugar sometimes two per person, and a little salt if you're lucky," he described.
Mutis, who resides in Tuinucú, Sancti Spíritus, asserts that in Cuba, no one controls anything anymore, and everything has turned into a scramble for survival.
"What prosperous and sustainable socialism are these lunatics talking about? When inequality is growing every day and the privileged become richer and wealthier, the average Cuban is left with even less," he stated.
The post sparked hundreds of comments reflecting a widespread food crisis across the country.
The reported prices of sweet potatoes by residents in various provinces show an alarming dispersion: in Havana, the price per pound is around 90-120 CUP; in Holguín, it reaches 100 CUP per pound; in Santiago de Cuba, two sweet potatoes cost 300 CUP; in Cienfuegos, one alone costs 300 CUP; and on the Isle of Youth, five are sold for 350 CUP.
"I went to buy them at the market and they are already 120 pesos per pound. Who would have told this to the sweet potato some time ago? It's outrageous, no matter where it comes from," wrote internet user Gladis Ramírez García.
Other users pointed to the State as the major absentee. "We’re not going to talk about agricultural products, what explanation is there for the fact that almost nothing has entered the stores so far in 2026? But well, we have to endure, say those who have everything guaranteed," noted Regla Johnson.
Gilmer Rodríguez del Pozo ironically summarized the official response: "Everything turns into: decrees, 'food sovereignty', implementation, creative resistance. None of this is edible."
A farmer identified as Arnaldo Lopez Gómez explained that this year he only produces for his own consumption: "Without fuel or agricultural machinery, it is impossible to produce." Another affected individual described the chain of intermediaries: the farmer sells in the field for 15 CUP per pound, but the final reseller charges 90 CUP.
Sweet potato, historically one of the cheapest foods in Cuba, cost less than 10 pesos per pound in 2020. Currently, prices range from 80 to 120 CUP, with extreme cases like that of Mutis, who paid 200 CUP for just five units.
This price jump occurs while the minimum wage in Cuba remains at 2,100 CUP per month, equivalent to about four dollars at the informal exchange rate, and the average salary is around 6,830 CUP.
The Vice President Salvador Valdés Mesa himself acknowledged last Friday that inflation can only be addressed by supplying the market, but he admitted that "we cannot achieve that in the short term".
Rita Hernández Soto closed the debate on social media with a phrase that encapsulates the public mood: "They have turned the people against each other, and hunger reigns."
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