Havana/The dollarization of fuel in Cuba has taken a new step. The Supermarket digital platform, specialized in purchases from abroad for recipients on the Island, began to sell gasoline and diesel that can be paid online and later picked up at various service centers in Havana. The modality opens for the first time the possibility for a family member or acquaintance outside the country to pay directly for the fuel that will end up in the tank of a Cuban vehicle.
As he was able to verify 14ymedio this saturday in the platformRegular B90 gasoline is sold at $3.20 per liter, while diesel costs $2.40. The offers appear linked to different establishments, including service centers in Santiago de las Vegas, Guanabacoa, Cotorro and Boyeros.
The buyer does not receive the fuel at home, an obviously impossible option for a product of these characteristics. “Only available for pickup,” Supermarket warns. When completing the payment, the customer must designate the person who will pick up the order at a physical point. That way, money can come out of a card in Miami, Madrid or any other place while gasoline ends up supplying a car in Havana.
The novelty expands a process of fuel dollarization that until now had fundamentally advanced through in-person payment
The platform also offers a much larger option: 1,000 liters of diesel for $2,300, equivalent to $2.30 per liter, with pickup at the Perla service center in Boyeros. The quantity and price suggest an offer aimed mainly at businesses and customers with high consumption needs.
The novelty expands a process of fuel dollarization that until now had mainly advanced through in-person payment. In May, the authorities launched a network of gas stations that sell exclusively in dollars and, in July, Regular B90 cost $2.50 per liter in El Jardín, located at Zapata and 4, El Vedado, after having sold for $1.80 just two months before. Meanwhile, the Cimex corporation had suspended sales in Cuban pesos since February due to the shortage.
The Supermarket price is even higher: its 3.20 dollars per liter of B90 represents 70 cents more than the 2.50 observed in July in the face-to-face dollarized network. For those who receive family help from abroad, however, the advantage lies elsewhere: it is no longer necessary to first get the cash or foreign currency to the beneficiary so that they can buy fuel, or wait in long virtual lines for a turn to refuel at a gas station in the Cuban capital.
The digital sale of gasoline and diesel also arrives when the map of fuel supply to Cuba is changing
Supermarket had already tested a similar formula with another energy product. In May it began offer 22 pound cylinders of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for $29, payable from abroad and outside the rationed system. That modality allowed customers with family members outside of Cuba to access a product whose state distribution had been marked for months by shortages, restrictions and long lines. But it also raised many hives among those who only have access to the Cuban peso, through their salaries and pensions.
The digital sale of gasoline and diesel also arrives when the map of fuel supply to Cuba is changing. US exports destined for the island’s private sector reached 61.1 million dollars in July, 27.7% more than the previous month. Since these operations were authorized, Cuban companies had acquired petroleum products for 156.8 million dollars until July, with important items of gasoline and extra light diesel.
The possibility of buying fuel from abroad thus deepens a gap that is already visible in food, appliances, liquefied gas and other basic products. For a driver without access to foreign currency, it is reduced to appealing to the informal market where it exceeds 3,000 pesos per liter. For those who have a foreign card behind them, however, now an online operation is enough and then go to the indicated service center.
