The Periódico Girón, the official organ of the Communist Party of Cuba in Matanzas, announced a new chapter in its YouTube program Foco de Atención that will be dedicated to investigating the rampant increase in prices in the country.
The state media posted on Facebook a teaser video that summarizes the paradox with a single fact: in the Versalles neighborhood, a bag of milk reached a price of 6,500 pesos, while in another establishment in the same city it was sold for 4,500 pesos.
The minimum wage in Cuba, since July of this year, is only 3,210 pesos per month, which means that this basic product can cost double what a worker earns in a month.
«About 6,500 pesos, that's how much a bag of milk came to cost. But who decides how much it’s worth? Is it the government, the merchant, or the often-mentioned supply and demand? In 60 days, the rules of survival have changed, but there is one question that remains unanswered: Who sets the price?», the video states.
It is striking that it is precisely an official medium that opens this debate. Girón acknowledged in August that the Cuban state has "little to no" margin to curb inflation, and admitted that the dependence on imports is one of the causes of the increase.
The increase became more pronounced following the enactment of the Resolution 150/2026 of the Cuban regime, which in June removed the national price caps on cut chicken, cooking oils, powdered milk, pasta, and sausages, citing the rising exchange rate of the dollar and fuel shortages as reasons.
Following that decision, prices soared uncontrollably. The cost of oil increased from around 1,500 pesos in April to over 4,000 in August, with some areas experiencing prices as high as 7,000 pesos.
The provincial government of Matanzas attempted to mitigate the damage by setting local reference prices for powdered milk and enabling phone lines for citizen complaints. In September, 46 establishments were closed for price violations, with no visible improvement in the situation.
The comments on the video from Periódico Girón reflect the growing outrage. "The price is set by whoever wants," wrote one user. Another person pointed out, "The price is set by the seller, and no one cares." A third highlighted the responsible party: "We can thank our government for its useless measures."
Other commentators expanded the picture beyond just milk. "If it were just milk: a pound of chicken here in Matanzas is 800 pesos, ham is 1,000, a bag of rice is 870, etc.," detailed a netizen.
The salary increase of 53% approved by the regime in July —which raised the minimum wage from 2,100 to 3,210 pesos— was rendered ineffective by inflation before Cubans could experience any relief.
A Cuban recently demonstrated that with 5,000 pesos —just over a minimum wage— it barely suffices to buy basic products.
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