A question posed with disbelief regarding the price of eggs in Santiago de Cuba ended up revealing an even more alarming picture: consumers from several provinces confirmed prices close to 200 pesos per unit, while others reported prices of up to 300 and 320 pesos.
Plácido Ferreiro Romero asked this Thursday on Facebook if it was true that an egg was costing 200 pesos in Santiago de Cuba, which would raise the price of a carton of 30 units to 6,000 CUP.
"I refuse to believe it is this way", he wrote, but the responses exceeded all expectations.
Numerous users confirmed that the product is sold at that price in Santiago de Cuba.
Noelia Rodríguez, Yutmari Candel, Jose Kindelan Padilla, Esmerida Hidalgo Vidal, and Diana Diana stated that an egg costs 200 pesos in that province.
Other testimonies placed the prices even higher. Doris stated that in much of Santiago de Cuba, they reached 240 pesos, while Aimee Rodríguez Vinent, Katia Mustelier, and La Oyacita de Santiago mentioned 250 pesos per unit.
Romelia Cruz noted that street vendors were selling eggs for 250 pesos on Enramadas street, while Galbán Mendoza Yumilka mentioned that a friend had just bought two cartons in the Sueño neighborhood for the same price per unit.
The highest reports also came from Santiago de Cuba. Mercedes Pacheco stated that on Escario Street they were being sold for 300 pesos, Daneyis González Bonne mentioned seeing that price in Agüero, and Dalia Rivera confirmed that the product had already reached that amount in the province.
Alejandro Ortiz Uribazo mentioned a price of 320 pesos per unit, while Yudith Lora stated that a carton had cost 7,500 CUP. Romelia Cruz and Beatriz Ferrer Mustelier also reported having seen offers of up to 250 pesos.
In Havana, prices close to or exceeding 200 pesos also appeared. Km Abreu pointed out that in Old Havana an egg cost 190 pesos and a box of eggs cost 5,700, while Brian Bacallao Salido and Yuli Fernández stated that in Alamar they were sold for 200 pesos.
Raquel Noblet stated that in that same Havana neighborhood, the price reached 250 pesos per unit. Noemi Mayan reported 190 pesos in Havana and Yanet Morera mentioned boxes costing up to 5,400 CUP.
In Puerto Padre, Las Tunas, Odalys del Carmen Parra Escalona asserted that an egg cost 300 pesos. Taty Marti placed the carton at 4,500 CUP in that province, while Yusnelcy Ávila mentioned 130 pesos per unit and 4,000 for a carton.
The responses revealed, however, considerable differences between territories. Dilsia Marante reported that in Placetas, Villa Clara, a egg cost 160 pesos, while Liamny Dylan Jacomino noted that in Santa Clara it was sold for 150.
Yoa González set the price at 150 pesos in Centro Habana, while Teresa Mosquera mentioned a range of 150 to 160 pesos in Boyeros. Dayana Cordero noted a price of 150 in Holguín, although Manuela Pupo Álvarez stated that in that province they could also be found for 200.
William Sera stated that in Holguín, cardboard was trading between 3,600 and 3,900 CUP, while Zoila Leticia López Rodríguez reported values ranging from 4,000 to 5,000 in the municipality of Rafael Freyre.
The lowest prices were found in Ciego de Ávila, where Katiuska Machado stated that eggs could be found for between 80 and 90 pesos. Olga Lidia Hernández Valdés mentioned 120 pesos in Morón.
In Guisa, Granma, Dalgis Tamayo mentioned a price of 110 pesos per unit. Raúl Knight Pérez stated that he purchased them for 105 pesos in Moa, while Andrea Tamayo Tamayo and Alianis Ronda placed the product between 110 and 120 pesos in Banes.
In Pinar del Río, Livan Magdaleno reported cartons between 2,400 and 2,800 CUP. Oscar Molina Pérez noted a value of 3,100 in Cienfuegos, while Misleydi Benítez mentioned 3,600 pesos per carton in Matanzas.
The comments do not constitute a statistical study or an official price list, but they illustrate the significant variation in the informal market and the rapid increase in the price of a basic food staple. The cost can change between provinces, municipalities, neighborhoods, and even from one day to the next.
The increase becomes even more evident when compared to previous reports. In April, a carton of eggs was offered for between 3,000 and 3,100 pesos in a market in Holguín. In June, informal prices ranged from 3,000 to 4,000 CUP.
The egg is following the same path as oil, another essential product that has quickly moved out of the reach of Cubans. A recent report showed how, in Havana, a bottle went from costing 4,000 pesos in just a matter of days.
After oil, the egg has become yet another everyday food that is practically out of reach for many families.
At 6,000 pesos per carton, buying 30 units requires almost two full minimum wages.
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