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The scarcity of rice in Cuba has driven its price up to 300 CUP per pound on the black market, severely impacting a population with minimal income. Imports are declining and inflation is rising.

The food crisis in Cuba is worsening with the relentless rise in prices of basic goods in the black market.

In recent days, the price of a pound of rice has reached 300 Cuban pesos (CUP), a figure that highlights the profound scarcity and the deterioration of the population's purchasing power.

According to reports from citizens in several provinces, obtaining rice through the ration book has become an almost impossible task, forcing families to turn to the informal market, where prices have reached exorbitant levels.

In Santa Clara, residents have publicly reported that in the Mipymes near the Fe del Valle Secondary School on the Doble Vía, the price of rice is displayed on boards at 300 CUP per pound, despite the fact that the authorities have tried to regulate it at 170 CUP.

"You cannot be less corrupt and do something for the people", expressed a resident on social media, accusing local authorities of collusion with merchants.

"Before we could find it for 200 or 250 pesos, but now it's a luxury. If you don't have money, you don't eat.", commented a resident of Havana, who wished to remain anonymous.

In several areas of the capital, imported rice from Brazil, Uruguay, and India has exceeded 350 CUP per pound, creating greater uncertainty among the population.

Municipalities like Quivicán, in the province of Mayabeque, have the price set at 300 CUP and it is not exclusive to the black market.

The shortage of rice in state markets is due, in part, to the decline in imports and distribution problems within the country. Cuba relies heavily on foreign purchases to ensure the supply of this product, but the economic crisis and the shortage of foreign currency have complicated the arrival of essential food items.

In buying and selling groups on social media, prices reflect this crisis. Arroz Rainha, imported, is sold at 590 CUP per kilo in packs of 30 units, while arroz San Diego is sold at 620 CUP per kilo with a minimum purchase of 30 packs.

Other vendors offer Guyana rice at 280 CUP per pound, which shows that high prices are not limited to a single supplier.

Source : cibercuba