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A photograph of a personal pizza and a can of malt published on Facebook by Roberto Suárez, a photojournalist for the official newspaper Juventud Rebelde, sparked a wide debate on social media this Saturday by pointing out that this combo costs 600 Cuban pesos, which is 13% of the salary of 4,600 pesos that most workers in the country earn.
"What salary of 4,600 pesos can afford something that costs 600? For most of the workers living on that income, this is already a luxury, completely out of touch with reality," wrote Suárez alongside the image, which features a Margherita pizza with a missing slice and a can of non-alcoholic Belga Star malt on a wooden table.
The photojournalist warned that anyone deciding to make that expenditure faces immediate consequences. "If you choose to buy it, you have to cut back on other needs, and the economic situation —which is already tense— becomes even more complicated," he noted.
The fact that a worker from the official Cuban press publicly exposes this disparity reflects the magnitude of the accumulated social discontent on the island.
The comments on the post clearly revealed a divide between those living with Cuban pesos and those with access to foreign currency. Retirees receiving pensions of 3,000 pesos were the most outspoken.
"Prohibited for retirees like me with a pension of 3,000 M.N.," wrote Pepe Cárdenas, while Jacinto Duménigo added, "As a retiree, I only receive 3,000, so what about the thousands of us in this situation?"
Other users extended the drama beyond just food. "The saddest part is when you have to buy medications that you can't afford even after a lifetime of working," lamented Sailiski Chávez.
Mirexy Riverón was more straightforward. "I wonder what you will cut back on when that salary doesn't cover anything anyway. Neither luxuries nor basic needs," she said.
Rebeca Cabrales summarized the general sentiment with a phrase: "Living has become a luxury."
Not everyone agreed with Suárez's approach. Robert Torres García argued that salary is not the right measure for assessing prices. "Literally, if you convert it to USD, it's very cheap," he commented.
Oda RC, on the other hand, questioned the quality of the product. "And poorly made, so lacking in quality and absurdly expensive," he contrasted.
The price reported by Suárez is part of a documented trend of impossible prices in Cuba. In Camagüey, a single malt is sold for 325 pesos, a figure that exceeds the hourly wage of a Cuban doctor, which is set at 29 pesos.
A pizza at the restaurant of Hotel E Velasco and Louvre in Matanzas costs 1,000 pesos, with add-ons ranging from 200 to 500 pesos extra.
The Belgian malt Belga Star photographed by Suárez is an imported beverage that circulates in the informal market. Since March, a new tax of 30 cents per liter on imported beverages is further driving up its prices, in a sector that already recorded an annual inflation rate of nearly 70% in February, according to the National Statistics and Information Office.
The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights estimates that at least 30,000 pesos per month are needed just for basic food, seven times more than the official minimum pension of 4,000 pesos, which is equivalent to about nine dollars.
Cuba has 1,774,310 registered retirees, and 99% of them say that their pension does not cover basic needs, according to the Independent Trade Union Association of Cuba.
Cuban Vice President Salvador Valdés Mesa acknowledged in February that it is impossible to live on 6,000 pesos due to high prices, an admission that has not led to any structural solutions for workers and retirees on the island.
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