| 22/12/2020 – 13:43 pm (GMT-4)
The CIMEX company published the prices of staple food and cleaning products in its stores in Cuba from January, when the monetary reunification process began in the country.
The value of its products, previously sold in CUC and CUP, with an exchange rate equal to 25 pesos in national currency, will now be in Cuban pesos (CUP) only.
For example, a liter of sunflower oil now costs 48.75 CUP, a kilo of chicken thighs 45.00 CUP and that of chicken liver 38.75 CUP.
On the other hand, a 400 gram package of ground turkey costs 20.00 CUP and the chicken 22.50 CUP.
In terms of personal hygiene, a Four Seasons brand deodorant costs 25.00 CUP, natural toothpaste 30.00 CUP and D’BLAN detergent of 500 grams 27.50 CUP.
Ever since the government started opening shops in free convertible currency all over the island, shops in CUC and CUP were practically unavailable, a situation that continues to this day and has not caused a bit of controversy among citizens.
When starting with the stores in MLC, the authorities said that in those of CUC products such as powdered milk and evaporated milk, cheese, yogurt, ground beef, burgers, ground turkey, chicken, sausage, cold cuts, apples, vegetable oil, tomato paste, other canned tomatoes, canned meat and fish, pasta, grains, wheat flour, coffee, sugar and salt .
In terms of hygiene, they promised that there would be laundry detergent, laundry and toilet soap, toilet paper, deodorant, toothpaste, sanitary pads, disposable pads, wet wipes, shampoo, floor rug and toothbrushes.
However, like many, this has been an unfulfilled promise as the shelves of these establishments remain empty most of the time.
“What disrespect they have for the starving people,” a Cuban said last month for images of the empty shelves of the stores in CUC.
“Everything that’s missing out there and more is in the MLC stores, a huge disrespect for the people,” said another user.
“The promises are blown away, when they said the same products would be in dollars and in CUC or at the exchange rate in national currency, how quickly they forget the promises to consumers, to ordinary Cubans, which is 90 percent of the population,” commented another Cuban.
This month the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel, accompanied by the First Secretary of the Communist Party Raúl Castro, announced that the process of monetary unification in Cuba It starts on January 1 with a single exchange rate of 24 Cuban pesos (CUP) for one dollar.
From now on, the salary fund in Cuba would increase 4.9 times and social security pensions five times.
However, Cubans are worried about the reality that will emerge in a few weeks, when prices skyrocket and poverty on the island can reach unimaginable places.
“It has already been said that the contract in itself is not the magical solution to all the problems that exist in our economy. However, it will promote the creation of the necessary conditions to move forward in a more solid way,” said Díaz-Canel .