Yordelis Aliaga Tamayo, a Cuban mother from the municipality of Alquízar in the province of Artemisa, summarized in a video the desperation of thousands of families on the island in the face of skyrocketing prices of basic food items.
«Given that oil is 6,000 pesos, today the price of eggs is 4,500 and let's not even talk about meat, which costs 800 pesos per pound, I have come to the conclusion that this afternoon we will be eating grass, because there is nothing else we can do,» says the woman in the video, posted in the Facebook group «Revolico Alquízar».
The prices mentioned are consistent with the significant increase that food items have experienced in the Cuban informal market over the past few weeks. A user noted that in her area, meat now costs 1,200 pesos per pound.
One of the factors behind the new escalation in food prices is the Resolution 150/2026 of the Ministry of Finance and Prices, published on June 20, 2026. The regime removed the price ceilings for retail sales of edible oils, cut chicken, powdered milk, pasta, and sausages.
Before that measure, the oil had a maximum price of 990 pesos per liter. The rise in its price has been staggering. At the end of July, it was sold for 2,500 pesos in Havana, by August 3 it was already around 4,000 pesos, and just days later it surpassed 6,000 pesos in several areas of the country.
The price of eggs has also skyrocketed in parallel. The government of Villa Clara attempted to set a local cap of 110 pesos per unit, but in the informal market, cartons reached prices between 6,000 and 7,500 pesos in August. Independent economists have criticized these provincial caps for lacking real control mechanisms.
The comments on the video ranged from outrage to dark humor. "Don't take it as a joke, the time will come to eat grass. With food prices as they are, no wallet can handle it. One salary isn't even enough to buy a bottle of oil. And what about everything else?" wrote a user.
Another person summarized harshly: "The reality of the Cuban people is very sad, and yet the well-fed continue to tighten their grip more and more every day."
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