Cuba and US seeking bilateral agricultural cooperation

Agricultural producers from Cuba and the US met in Havana last week to find means for bilateral cooperation in the sector, at a time when Cubans are facing serious food shortages. US Agricultural Coalition representative Paul Johnson identified agriculture as one of the most important sectors in relations between the two countries. Speaking on the first day of the III Cuba-US Agricultural Conference, Johnson said that the economic embargo “limits trade between the two countries in a very significant way, so we must find ways to eliminate barriers.”

If the embargo against Cuba, in force since 1962, did not exist, mutual agricultural trade would be worth around $1 billion a year, compared to the current $250 million, according to the National Association of US State Departments of Agriculture. In 2021, the US doubled its chicken exports to Cuba to $253 million.

Cuba has suffered from a chronic shortage for decades. The island imports about 70% of the food it consumes.