The Agro-Industrial Fairs in Havana
HAVANA TIMES – They’re no longer peoples’ fairs, but Agro-Industrial Fairs, and they’re not for everyone’s pocket. Prices are sky-high, and compared to those at the agricultural markets, there’s not much difference anymore.
Last Saturday I went to one of these because I needed to buy eggs. A carton of 30 eggs goes for between 2,600 and 2,800 pesos, and sometimes I’ve paid over 3,000. (That’s the equivalent of half an average wage and nearly all of most pensions.)
They sell everything — from root vegetables to home appliances. What you can’t find in the stores, you’ll find there. Who sets the prices? Are these MIPYMEs (small and medium-sized private businesses)? Are they people bringing products from abroad? And in the case of appliances, do they come with a warranty? Impossible to answer.
I don’t like that they set up the fairs in parks, since people trample the grass and leave it dirty.
It’s curious to see vendors walking around offering their goods as if nothing were wrong. However, this time I saw two police officers checking a vendor’s permit papers.
One thing made me a little sad — there was a guy with an inflatable for children to jump on. I thought it was free, but he charged 50 pesos for just a few minutes of bouncing.
The fair at John Lennon Park, on 17th Street between 6th and 8th in Vedado, is one of the most popular. I imagine that if the musician saw the madness of this crowd, he wouldn’t like it one bit.
