Pan Prices Soar Amidst Economic Turmoil in Havana

The Cuban state-run media has once again highlighted the worsening economic disarray, with journalist Ana Maura Carbó shedding light on the erratic pricing of essential goods in her article, "Discussing Prices... What About the Bread?" published in Tribuna de La Habana. Carbó exposes the chaotic pricing of agricultural and bakery products in areas like Alamar, located in East Havana.

While there is a slight downward trend in the cost of items such as tomatoes, onions, and cabbage, it is the unpredictable and often escalating price of bread—an indispensable staple for Cuban households—that has become a major concern. As Carbó navigates through the Alamar neighborhood, she observes the arbitrary shifts in bread prices that occur almost overnight: “Today’s bread price may not be tomorrow’s, and rarely does it decrease,” she remarks wryly.

The situation is exacerbated by street vendors selling undersized bread from state-run bakeries, often produced under unsanitary conditions, at increasingly higher costs. They frequently justify this with claims of rising flour and supply costs. The article also criticizes the absence of visible price boards, which are mandated by regulation, and the lack of effective enforcement despite official guidelines on items like chicken, oil, and milk.

Chaotic Pricing and Lack of Oversight

Carbó points out the complete lack of oversight, stating, “Everyone sets the price they find convenient,” highlighting the authorities’ failure to monitor the situation. With a sharp and sardonic tone, she likens the scenario to Odysseus outsmarting the Cyclops Polyphemus, pointing out the invisibility of those accountable. “No one has dared to review and set limits,” she says, criticizing the state apparatus's inaction against rampant speculation.

In a nation where inflation severely impacts the average citizen, the fluctuating price of bread—coupled with its diminishing size and quality—serves as another indicator of a failing system where even the most basic foods are not immune to disarray and makeshift solutions.

The Bread Crisis Deepens

Since September 2024, Cuba's bread production and distribution have seen a systematic decline, mirroring the collapse of state management over this vital commodity. Last September, the Cuban regime announced a decrease in the size of the bread in the basic food basket from 80 to 60 grams, alongside a price cut from one peso to 75 cents. The decision was justified by the wheat flour shortage and the need to “ensure supply,” though authorities acknowledged potential delays due to logistical and energy challenges.

Images of the absurdly small regulated bread, sometimes weighing less than 50 grams, quickly went viral on social media. In provinces like Matanzas, distribution had to be carried out using wheelbarrows and electric carts from ETECSA, highlighting the collapse of the state’s transport system for essential goods. Despite inspections ordered by the Ministry of the Food Industry, criticisms persisted regarding the poor quality and inadequate weight of the bread.

In the following months, the situation only worsened. Last March, the head of production at the Cuban Bread Company in Matanzas publicly admitted that they only had enough bread for a single day, relying on urgent flour deliveries from Havana. This was compounded by frequent fuel shortages, weight violations, and an increasing dependence on the informal market, where bread prices skyrocketed.

Extreme cases were reported in April. Early in the month, consumers in Holguín received bread with a cockroach-like odor and taste, with no credible technical explanation provided. Just this Monday, a social media user reported a futile pre-dawn search for bread in local shops, returning empty-handed amidst a system incapable of guaranteeing even one piece of bread per person daily.