Edelweiss
12th June 2002, 16:30
Basic Food More Cheaply
Price reform in Cuba. Consequences from tourism development after S11
Dalia Acosta, Havanna (IPS)
There have been rumors lasting for weeks over a forthcoming increase of the consumer prices for the Cuban population for a multiplicity of consumer goods. The prices for some basic food and consumer durables however were easily lowered.
In the national dollar shops the changes were carried out already to a large extent. Since last week drying milk and evaporated milk cost only 5.80 and/or 1.35 US dollar. Those are price deductions around ten and 15 cent. Also the common sanitary articles experienced a decline in prices of up to 15 cent such as soap, toothpaste and shampoo. But now hair styling articles from national production cost two dollars. That is an increase of 35 cents.
Of an unofficial paper, which was made accessible to foreign correspondents in the last week, the speech of ten percent price increases was with beef, cheese, mayonnaise, olives, chocolate, cookies, textiles, shoes, handbags, furniture, household appliances, bicycles and cameras. Most strongly increased - around 30 per cent - were music accessories, as well as accessories and batteries for electronic devices.
The Ministry for economics and planning justified the price increases with the losses of the tourism after the terrorist attacks from S11 and the declining demand for Cuban cigars. The goods, which are offered for sale in the dollar shops, are according to national data to 37 per cent food and to 14 per cent of hygiene goods. Here light price deductions were possible.
1993 saw the permittance of Cuban government to possess US dollars. Since that time ever more dollar shops on the caribean island have been established, which have to offer a broader product range than the peso businesses. From official data comes the news that 60 per cent of the 11.2 million Cubans have some possession of dollars. The relationship of the peso to the dollar is with 26 to one, the minimum income being a monthly 245 pesos. The Cuban legislation forbids, except for few exceptions, that the wages and salaries are disbursed in US dollars.
First published by German newspaper Junge Welt (http://www.jungewelt.de).
http://www.jungewelt.de/2002/06-12/005.php
Translated using Babelfish (http://babelfish.altavista.com), revised.
Price reform in Cuba. Consequences from tourism development after S11
Dalia Acosta, Havanna (IPS)
There have been rumors lasting for weeks over a forthcoming increase of the consumer prices for the Cuban population for a multiplicity of consumer goods. The prices for some basic food and consumer durables however were easily lowered.
In the national dollar shops the changes were carried out already to a large extent. Since last week drying milk and evaporated milk cost only 5.80 and/or 1.35 US dollar. Those are price deductions around ten and 15 cent. Also the common sanitary articles experienced a decline in prices of up to 15 cent such as soap, toothpaste and shampoo. But now hair styling articles from national production cost two dollars. That is an increase of 35 cents.
Of an unofficial paper, which was made accessible to foreign correspondents in the last week, the speech of ten percent price increases was with beef, cheese, mayonnaise, olives, chocolate, cookies, textiles, shoes, handbags, furniture, household appliances, bicycles and cameras. Most strongly increased - around 30 per cent - were music accessories, as well as accessories and batteries for electronic devices.
The Ministry for economics and planning justified the price increases with the losses of the tourism after the terrorist attacks from S11 and the declining demand for Cuban cigars. The goods, which are offered for sale in the dollar shops, are according to national data to 37 per cent food and to 14 per cent of hygiene goods. Here light price deductions were possible.
1993 saw the permittance of Cuban government to possess US dollars. Since that time ever more dollar shops on the caribean island have been established, which have to offer a broader product range than the peso businesses. From official data comes the news that 60 per cent of the 11.2 million Cubans have some possession of dollars. The relationship of the peso to the dollar is with 26 to one, the minimum income being a monthly 245 pesos. The Cuban legislation forbids, except for few exceptions, that the wages and salaries are disbursed in US dollars.
First published by German newspaper Junge Welt (http://www.jungewelt.de).
http://www.jungewelt.de/2002/06-12/005.php
Translated using Babelfish (http://babelfish.altavista.com), revised.