Cuba’s U.S. food imports drop 17.5 %, most probably due to lack of cash

From our Bureau of Latrine American Socialist Voodoo Economics

Castro, Inc. bought less food from the U.S. in the month of February, most probably due to lack of cashflow. Due to the rules of the so-called “embargo” Cuba must pay cash up front for all purchases from the U.S.

Given the constant worsening of food shortages in Cuba, this drop in purchases is NOT due to an increase in the amount of food produced by Castro, Inc., but rather to Castro, Inc.’s inability to pay for food items up front, in cash.

No other explanation makes as much sense. Castro, Inc. is on the ropes, unable to produce enough food for Cubans, unable to pay for food from foreign countries, perhaps also unable to convince foreign producers to sell to them on credit. Everyone in the world should know by now that Castro, Inc. ALWAYS fails to pay for whatever it buys on credit.

Cuba’s economic crisis might be worse than any news organization is willing to admit. And this sudden drop in food purchases is simply one of many other instances of severe economic distress, which could presage a catastrophic economic collapse.

While that might presage the end of 64 years of repression, let’s also keep in mind that the only ones who will suffer most immediately from such a catastrophe will be the Cuban people, not the military junta and all the other oligarchs who run Castro, Inc.

Abridged and loosely translated from Diario de Cuba

Purchases of food and agricultural products by Cuba in the US during last February experienced a 17.5% drop, according to figures from the Department of Agriculture (USDA) of the northern neighbor.

According to the business figures reported by the federal entity on its official website, this fall meant that during the second month of 2023 purchases were 24,592,601 dollars, around five million less than the 29,812,459 dollars in the same month of 2022. and some three million higher than the 21,202,760 of February 2020.

The products that Havana bought the most in the US were, in addition to chicken, which is the main product in its monthly basket, coffee, tuna, seasonings, toilet paper, pork, yeast and non-alcoholic beverages, among others.

To date, Cuba is the 55th market for US food and agricultural products, out of 216 destinations for such products.

According to Cuban economist Pedro Monreal, the drop “was not offset by other exporters,” especially Brazil, the second most common market for the island’s chicken acquisition.

Neither the authorities nor the official press make mention of this commercial exchange, not even when they assure that the “greed of the neighbor to the north” seeks to plunge Cubans into suffering, as their propaganda assures.

Whole story HERE in Spanish