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The state media Tiempo21Cuba presented the agro-commercial fair of Las Tunas this Saturday as "a challenge to resilience" and "a testament of commitment to the people," while citizens on social media referred to it as "the fair of misery" and "a theater."
The event took place at the 26 de Julio park in the provincial capital, featuring over 800 quintals of root vegetables, greens, fruits, and vegetables provided by state agricultural entities from five of the eight municipalities in the province.
However, the energy crisis in Cuba has had a direct impact on the fair: neither the dairy company nor the meat company from Las Tunas were able to participate normally as they were unable to produce their products due to the lack of electricity in their factories.
The private sector primarily offered plantains at 40 pesos each, while eggs were sold for 2,600 pesos per carton.
In response to those prices, the citizens' reaction was strong. "A banana for $50 or 70 pesos? That market is not for the average person. And what will pensioned seniors be able to eat? That scene looks like a theater," wrote the user Guillermo Leon on Facebook.
"The fair of misery. The propaganda is disgusting," declared Gerardo Pavon in the same setting.
Indignation has an arithmetic basis: the average pension in Cuba is around 3,056 pesos per month, which means that a single carton of eggs practically consumes the entire salary of a retiree.
The regime also eliminated price caps on several basic products through the Resolution 150/2026 of June 21, worsening inflation at a time when the income of most Cubans is insufficient to cover basic needs.
The government highlighted as an achievement that the Provincial Food Industry Company and its subsidiary Intalsur offered nearly twenty products made from flour, fruits, and vegetables, and that the El Ferrocarril market and the Mipyme Mercasa participated with prices it described as "competitive."
The fair takes place every two weeks in the capital of Tunas, but its recent history reflects the rapid deterioration of the situation. Last May, it was canceled due to a lack of fuel for transporting products from the municipalities, and the edition on June 21, organized for Father's Day, was widely criticized for its unaffordable prices, with yogurt priced at 490 pesos and ice cream at 1,460 pesos.
The backdrop is an unprecedented energy crisis: Cuba reported a power deficit of 2,206 MW on Friday, a figure close to the historical record of 2,208 MW reached on June 25, with blackouts affecting up to 70% of the island and leaving areas without electricity for between 20 and 24 hours a day.
User Ariel Mora summed up the feelings of many with a comparison that mixes nostalgia and irony: "That’s what they call a fair. The fairs from years ago… and of course, we’re going to blame the blockade."
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