Cuba implements “controlled” and centralized sale of eggs

According to a statement released by the provincial administration, 50,000 eggs will be sold at a single point, the El Mambí market, with a limit of five per person and a price of 60 Cuban pesos (around R$13) per unit. Consumers must present their supply booklet and sales will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

According to CiberCuba, the controlled sale of eggs had already been adopted in other regions of Cuba, such as the Isle of Youth, where a limit of four eggs per person at 50 Cuban pesos (R$11) per unit was implemented.

The independent website stated that the egg shortage was generated by structural problems in the state production system, such as the lack of animal feed, the deterioration of infrastructure and the inefficiency of the centralized model.

On social media, residents of Las Tunas criticized the sales model adopted by the provincial government. Many stated that controlled and centralized marketing in a single place will generate long queues and riots. “It’s going to be a massacre for five eggs,” wrote one user.

Even those who manage to buy eggs will not be guaranteed a quality product: in a video on social media, a pregnant woman from Santiago de Cuba reported that she bought spoiled eggs through the rationing system. “I don’t want bad eggs, I don’t want this rotten stuff,” he complained to the seller.