HOLGUÍN, Cuba. – “There is no deodorant anywhere,” says Roberto Martínez López, a 34-year-old resident of Holguín. “I have gone to several stores – San José, La Hogareña, La Luz de Yara, La Época, El Encanto and many more – and I have not found it in any of them,” he explains.
In state-owned stores and SMEs in the territory, deodorant has become a luxury item. In state-owned establishments, to avoid an image of scarcity, the shelves where the product was displayed have been refilled with other merchandise or, in the worst case, have been removed as happened in the El Encanto store.
Holguín is facing a crisis that has become common in recent years: the shortage of personal hygiene products, particularly deodorant.
The current situation reflects a deeper supply crisis that affects multiple aspects of daily life. The situation has led many to resort to informal sales points where, if they are lucky, they manage to find a bottle, albeit at an exorbitant price.
“Even us employees have never had deodorant included in the module they sell us at work. I had to buy a very expensive one on the street,” she told CubaNet a state-owned store worker in freely convertible currency on condition of anonymity for fear of being fired.
Leonardo Hernández Peña, who drives a bicycle taxi, says: “I have seen deodorants for 1,250 pesos per 50-milliliter bottle. They are repackaged and of poor quality, they do not protect and the aroma is unpleasant.”
The shortage of this product is not a new phenomenon. For years, the inhabitants of Holguín have suffered from shortages and the situation has been repeated in cycles.
In 2014, Roberto Cabrera Zamora, president of the Light Industry Business Group (GEMPIL), mentioned that “4% of the deodorant production plan was not met due to financing problems to acquire raw materials.”
Cuba: from Latin American power in hygiene products to the current crisis
The large factories operating in Cuba, such as Crusellas, Sabatés and Laboratorios Gravi, were fundamental to this success. Crusellas, founded in the 19th century and associated with the American company Colgate-Palmolive, had its plant in the capital’s El Cerro neighborhood and had approximately 800 workers. The company produced a variety of products ranging from detergents such as FAB and Rápido to renowned soaps such as Candado and Palmolive. Its lines also included toothpaste, cleansers and hair care products.
For its part, Sabatés, in collaboration with Procter & Gamble, manufactured popular detergents such as Tide and Ace, as well as iconic soaps such as Camay and Heno de Pravia.
Laboratorios Gravi SA, on the other hand, maintained its operations in Jovellanos, Matanzas, and produced essential products such as Gravi toothpaste and laundry soaps.
In contrast to that time, today a low-quality, small-sized bar of soap can cost between 4% and 6.8% of the average Cuban salary, which is around 3,500 pesos (approximately 28.40 dollars at the official exchange rate). This difference in prices not only reflects a production crisis, but also a marked decrease in the purchasing power of Cuban citizens.
The transformation that Cuba underwent after the 1959 Revolution had a profound impact on its economy and, in particular, on the hygiene products industry. The nationalization of industries and the adoption of a centralized economic model led to a significant decline in the production and quality of products. Factories that were once synonymous with quality and diversity became shadows of their former selves. Today, the industry faces severe supply problems, inefficient production and quality that does not meet the needs of consumers.
Access to hygiene products has thus become a luxury, and market shortages have led many people to turn to the informal market, where prices are exorbitant and quality, unfortunately, is not guaranteed.
If alternatives in times of crisis
Mario González Pérez, a father living in Holguín, remembers how in the 1990s, during the Special Period, when deodorant was scarce, people resorted to alternative methods such as baking soda and lemon, but now, due to shortages or high prices, these variants have been discarded. “Before, we used baking soda and lemon. Now, there is no of the former, and the latter is so expensive that it is preferable to buy it as food. It is better to be stinky than hungry,” says González Pérez.
With the high temperatures that characterize the Cuban climate, the use of deodorant becomes a hygiene priority. “With this heat, deodorant should be in every home,” says Pedro Fernández Doimeadios, a young man who works in construction.
The lack of this product not only affects personal health, but also impacts job performance. Gladis Pérez Infante, a receptionist at a company, shares her experience: “I have to give information to many people and I feel self-conscious. I can’t present myself to clients like this, but I have no other option.”
The situation also affects those who work in contact with the public, where the pressure to maintain a good image becomes overwhelming in a context where basic things are not available. A shop assistant in a private restaurant who prefers to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, says: “I have to walk a lot and I sweat. I feel self-conscious for fear that a customer will smell me bad. I have the money to buy something, but there is no deodorant.”
The paradox is obvious: there are people who have the money, but cannot find the product. The phenomenon of scarcity is not isolated, but is inserted in a broader context of inflation in Cuba. The lack of essential products, such as deodorant, contributes to an increase in the prices of other goods and services, creating a vicious cycle that affects the entire population.
“People have money, but they cannot access the basics, which in turn fuels inflation in the informal market,” he told CubaNet an economics student at the “Oscar Lucero Moya” University in Holguín, who asked that his name not be published for fear of reprisals.
To make matters worse, the shortage of hygiene products is not limited to deodorant. “Without soap, without deodorant and sweating from the heat, you can imagine,” says María Llosa Rodríguez, a resident of the Pueblo Nuevo neighborhood.
In the 21st century, Cubans live with shortages that seem to come from another era: fans and air conditioners that are paralyzed by blackouts make the high temperatures even more difficult to bear. “We are in the Middle Ages. Not only is there a lack of deodorant, but also soap, shampoo, perfumes and talcum powder,” laments Rosa Rodríguez Betancourt, a history graduate and mother.
The situation in Holguín is just a reflection of a broader problem affecting the entire archipelago. “We are experiencing a general shortage, not just of deodorant,” confirms Luis Paneque Patterson, a street vendor who roams the streets of Holguín.
Follow our channel WhatsApp. Receive the information from CubaNet on your cell phone through Telegram.
2024-07-20 09:57:54
#Holguin #residents #deodorant #hygiene #products