Milk in Cuba: distributed halfway, resold at gold prices

Parents and grandparents report delays in the delivery of powdered milk for children in Santiago de Cuba, while black market prices remain above the average monthly wage. In the midst of inflation, basic baby food has become a luxury item.

Partial and donated distribution

According to the Ministry of Domestic Trade (MINCIN), 15 days' supply of powdered milk donated by the World Food Program is currently being provided to children between the ages of 1 and 1 year and 11 months.

For the 2- to 6-year-old group, only 10 days will be allocated… and not even from the current month: it's the one corresponding to April.

However, in the comments posted on the Official Site From Mincin on Facebook, dozens of users claim that this distribution has not yet begun in many municipalities.

“My granddaughter is two years old and still hasn't received her April or May milk, and no one knows when it will arrive,” wrote a mother from Palma Soriano.

Informal market through the roof

Given the official shortage, the only quick way to get powdered milk is the black market.

On platforms like Revolico, this product sells for between 2,100 and 2,500 Cuban pesos per kilogram.

Some imported brands, such as La Cata or Bartex, are offered even at 2,900 CUP. With a average salary 5,839 CUP In Cuba, that represents more than half of the monthly income for just one bag.

One mother wrote: “I spent 5,000 pesos on milk for two weeks because I can’t wait for someone from the Ministry of Public Health to decide to distribute it.”

Online stores are not an option for everyone either.

Those with relatives abroad can turn to online stores such as Supermarket23 or EnvíosCuba. At the former, a pound (454 g) of powdered milk costs 9.40 USD. At the informal exchange rate of May 8 (1 USD = 370 CUP), that is equivalent to 3,478 CUP per pound, or more than 7,000 CUP per kilogram.

At EnvíosCuba, the cheapest options range from €4.24 to €5.21 per pound, which translates to €1,631 to €2,005 CUP with the euro at 385 CUPThe cost per kilogram, then, can exceed 4,000 CUP.

But for many Cubans, even those with family abroad, that kind of assistance is becoming increasingly difficult. “Before, my daughter sent me milk from Spain, but now she can't afford those prices every week,” said a grandmother from Contramaestre.

User reviews: “There’s no milk, but there are plenty of excuses.”

Social media comments reveal widespread discontent. Here are some real-life examples from the official Ministry of the Interior's publication:

—“Here in Palma Soriano, they haven't even distributed last month's food. And that's the efficiency they claim to have?”
— “My son turned 7 and didn't even get what he was owed for February. They took him off the plan without explanation.”
— “It’s May, and not a single gram of milk has arrived at my warehouse. Where’s the distribution?”
— “In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they live in another country. Here, what we have is backwardness, lies, and zero respect.”
— “Every time they advertise milk, there’s chaos. People find out about it on Facebook, but no one at the store knows anything.”
— "What about children with intolerances? There hasn't been lactose-free milk for months."

Some users even suggest that “ghost deliveries are made just to put it on social media.”

Cuban childhood, between donations and despair

Instead of guaranteeing an essential product, milk for children in Cuba depends on donations and arrives in fractions and weeks late. Meanwhile, the informal dollar rises, inflation soars, and milk costs more than the minimum wage.