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In Ciego de Ávila, half a kilogram of whole milk powder reached a price of 2,333 Cuban pesos in April 2026, the highest price recorded in the entire country for this basic product, according to official data published by the ONEI on their social media.
The National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) released on Tuesday its report "Minimum and Maximum Prices of Selected Varieties by Territories, April 2026," which reveals a huge gap between provinces and a devastating reality for the Cuban people’s wallets.
The second highest price corresponded to Cienfuegos, where 500 grams of powdered milk reached 2,200 pesos.
At the opposite end, the national minimum price was recorded in Bayamo, Granma province, at 700 pesos, followed by 775 in Havana, 850 in San José de las Lajas, and 880 in Pinar del Río.
These four provinces were the only ones where the product was found to be below 1,000 pesos. In the rest of the country, the minimum price exceeded that threshold.
The internal price dispersion is also striking.
According to the ONEI, "the territories with the greatest variation were Havana and Ciego de Ávila, both showing a difference of 1,133 Cuban pesos between the minimum and maximum price," while Artemisa recorded the lowest variation, with just 100 pesos.
This gap takes on a critical dimension when compared to the average monthly salary in Cuba in 2025, which was estimated by ONEI at 6,930 pesos, equivalent to about 12 dollars at the current informal exchange rate.
This means that half a kilogram of powdered milk in Ciego de Ávila can consume up to a third of a state worker's monthly salary. A full kilogram at the maximum price would cost more than two-thirds of that income.
The situation is even more severe considering that powdered milk has virtually disappeared from the regulated basket.
In December 2024, the Ministry of Domestic Commerce acknowledged that it could not guarantee milk for all children and offered chocolate mix as a substitute.
Months later, in January 2025, some areas of the country received syrup as an alternative to milk for children, an image that captured the severity of the food crisis.
Meanwhile, the product has reappeared in stores in foreign currency controlled by the military conglomerate GAESA. In January 2026, powdered milk returned to dollar supermarkets in Havana at prices ranging from 7.75 to 8.75 dollars per bag, which are unaffordable for most of the population.
This month, Uruguay announced the shipment of powdered milk to Cuba, but demanded proof that the product would not be resold in foreign currency stores, following reports that 25-kilogram bags of the Conaprole brand were being sold in GAESA establishments for 243 dollars.
ONEI data indicates that, in the absence of state distribution, Cubans must turn to the informal market or small private businesses to access a product that should be guaranteed for children under six, paying prices that represent an unsustainable fraction of their income.
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