Embargo? What embargo? While the communist Castro regime, its supporters, and the media continue blaming U.S. sanctions for the dire shortages in Cuba, U.S. exports to Cuba grew by 36% in August. What the Castro dictatorship and media always fail to mention is that Cuba can buy all the food, medicine, and many other products it wants from the U.S., they just can’t have the U.S. finance their purchases. Why not? Because the Cuban regime never ever pays back its loans.
During August 2023, Cuba spent nearly $40 million in purchases from the U.S.
In August 2023, there was a growth of 35.8% in the exports of agricultural products and food from the U.S. to Cuba, according to the report from the Cuba-U.S. Economic and Commercial Council. Compared to the same month of the previous year, this increase represents an additional 17.9%, solidifying Cuba as the 52nd main market for these American sales.
The total sales in that period amounted to $39,913,983 dollars, surpassing the records of $29,383,675 dollars in August 2022 and $27,656,565 dollars in August 2021, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Among the purchases made by Cuba, products beyond food stand out, such as compressors, immersion heaters, cleaning preparations, excavators, used tractors, and auto parts. As for food, the most prominent imports include chicken meat, pork, rice, grapes, coffee, biscuits, beer, palm oil, and sugar.
Surprisingly, despite the country’s needs, Cuba did not register purchases of sanitary products or medicines in recent months. However, there were humanitarian donations from the U.S. valued at $2,735,263 dollars.
To date, in 2023, Cuban acquisitions in the U.S. have reached $232,487,283 dollars, surpassing the previous year’s records by 35 million. Since December 2001, when changes were implemented in U.S. embargo laws, sales to the Island have exceeded $7,136,213,649 dollars.
Despite not being mentioned by the Cuban regime, the U.S. is currently the sixth-largest exporter to Cuba. Data from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) of Cuba show that, in 2022, U.S. exports to the Island reached $391,296,000 dollars, surpassing traditionally closer Latin American countries to Cuba, such as Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico.
These commercial transactions are possible thanks to the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act (TSREEA) of 2000.