A storekeeper in Havana, who has been serving in the same establishment for ten years, summed up the collapse of Cuba's state supply system in a few words: in August, only cigarettes arrived; in September, donated beans; and in the early days of October, absolutely nothing had arrived.
"In the month of August, what arrived were the cigars. And in the month of September, what came was donated beans. In this month of October, which has just begun, we have not received any goods so far," stated Ángela de la Caridad in a report from Canal Caribe broadcast by the Cuban Television News.
The testimony, gathered by journalist Talía González, illustrates the terminal state of the ration book, a system that the regime officially cut back in July 2026 after decades of progressive deterioration.
The report presents the so-called "neighborhood markets" as the official response to shortages.
The Ministry of Domestic Trade (MINCIN) announced the opening of 24 of these establishments nationwide, with prices ranging from 10% to 15% below those of other sales points, along with tax incentives for non-state managers—small and medium-sized enterprises, cooperatives, and self-employed workers—who will manage them through bidding.
But the very citizens interviewed in the official report reject the idea that the measure solves anything. " It’s an alternative, but it’s not a solution because prices are still high," said a neighbor consulted in front of one of those markets in Plaza de la Revolución. Another Havana resident was more direct when asked if it could be a solution: "Not for retirees or workers".
The figures explain the skepticism. The minimum wage in Cuba is equivalent to less than five dollars at the informal exchange rate — the peso was trading at 700 per dollar in September 2026 — compared to an estimated family basic basket costing around 96,000 pesos.
In one of the new markets, a kilogram of imported sugar costs 1,330 pesos, and a citizen interviewed paid 4,390 pesos just for eggs, admitting that the prices were "the same" as in other establishments.
"It is not fair that a person who today earns a salary of 5,000, 6,000 pesos or even much less, pays almost 50% of their salary for products," noted another interviewee, who also questioned the lack of transparency regarding importers' profit margins.
The food crisis has structural roots that no local market can remedy.
Cuba imports about 80% of the food it consumes, agricultural production has fallen to historic lows, and the lack of foreign currency limits imports.
A survey released in May 2026 revealed that 1 in 3 families experienced hunger in Cuba, that 33.9% of Cubans went to bed without dinner in 2025, and that 94.9% lost some degree of access to food purchases. The Food Monitor Program reported that 96.91% of Cubans had inadequate access to food in 2026.
Meanwhile, the increasing dollarization deepens the inequality between those who receive remittances and those who depend on salaries in pesos. Miguel Díaz-Canel himself acknowledged in July 2025 that this process has led to an "widening" of social gaps, although the official discourse continues to promise that no one will be left behind and that the reforms are aimed at "advancing in the construction of socialism."
The journalist from the state channel who signed the report admitted what the official narrative avoids: "Beyond tax incentives for those managing these establishments, there is an urgent need for national production that can keep them supplied, or an importation of goods without so many intermediaries."
He added that "not all territories are in a position to open this type of markets" and that the supply outside Plaza de la Revolución is "much lower".
Filed under: