A musician from Ranchuelo, a town in Villa Clara, has turned Cuba's cooking oil crisis into a viral poetic masterpiece, now exceeding one million views.
Known online as El Yayito Ranchuelero, Yordan Quintero has captured the nation's attention with his rhythmic lament about a single liter of oil reaching a staggering 3,500 Cuban pesos in his hometown. The video, shared by the Facebook page D' Canturía, has gathered over 1.1 million views, 51,372 likes, and 1,527 comments.
The core stanza leaves little room for doubt: "The price has soared, and I can't keep my cool, a liter of oil alone cost 3,500, who dreamed up such madness in excess, those 3,500... if we do the math right, it would get us 70 liters at 50 pesos each."
The artist's calculation starkly illustrates the economic collapse: what once could purchase seventy liters now barely covers one.
The Policy Shift and Its Impact
The price surge that inspired Quintero's composition traces back to a pivotal policy change: the Ministry of Finance and Prices' Resolution 150/2026, issued on June 20, 2026. This resolution removed national price caps on imported edible oils and abolished the earlier limit of 990 pesos per liter.
Since this change, prices have relentlessly climbed: from around 1,500 pesos in April, jumping to 2,000 in June, to 2,500 in Havana by July, and soaring to between 4,000 and 5,000 pesos in certain areas by August.
In Sancti Spíritus, prices skyrocketed from 2,000 to 3,000 pesos within a day.
Local Responses to the Price Hike
In response, several municipal governments attempted to rein in prices with local caps: Villa Clara set a maximum of 2,500 pesos on August 8, Guantánamo at 2,200 pesos on August 5, and Pinar del Río at 2,150 pesos, marking the lowest among those who imposed controls.
The policy is blatantly contradictory: the regime liberalized prices in June, and within two months, municipalities re-imposed ceilings, each with its own figure.
Economist Pedro Monreal criticized the situation harshly: "176 measures and only one achievement: proving they've learned nothing."
Furthermore, the Cuban government admitted it hasn't distributed any oil through the ration book throughout 2026, leaving citizens entirely at the mercy of informal market prices.
The Power of Humor in Crisis
El Yayito Ranchuelero's verse joins a wave of viral content using humor to spotlight the crisis.
A young man known as El Burla humorously stored his bottle of oil in a safe, highlighting the inflated value of the commodity.
Back in 2020, the official price for refined soybean oil was 48.75 pesos per liter in state-run stores. Today, that same liter might cost more than the monthly minimum pension for thousands of Cubans, set at 4,000 pesos, equivalent to less than eight dollars.
Understanding Cuba's Oil Crisis
What triggered the rise in oil prices in Cuba?
The surge began after the Ministry of Finance and Prices' Resolution 150/2026 was implemented, which removed price caps on imported edible oils.
How have local governments responded to the oil price crisis?
Local governments have set varying price caps in response; for instance, Villa Clara capped it at 2,500 pesos, while Pinar del Río set it at 2,150 pesos.
Why is the oil price situation in Cuba considered contradictory?
The contradiction stems from the regime's decision to liberalize prices in June, only for municipalities to reintroduce price ceilings shortly after.