Cuba registered in January 2023 a significant increase in the purchase of chicken in the market of USAwith a figure that represents the highest monthly volume of tons since February last year.
Data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), reviewed by the Cuban economist Pedro Monreal on his Twitter profile, illustrate that there was an 11% increase in these purchases compared to the previous month.
1/3 The year 2023 started “strongly” for US chicken meat exports to Cuba, reaching in January 2023 the highest level of tons exported since February 2022. There was a monthly increase of 11% in tons pic.twitter.com/UvNrF2ZQCu
— Pedro Monreal (@pmmonreal) March 8, 2023
The figures also indicate that the value of the exports of chicken from the United States to Cuba fell by 18% compared to December 2022, going from 1.26 dollars per kilogram to 0.96. This movement shows a reversal in the general trend experienced throughout the past year.
This reduction represented for the island a lower disbursement of foreign currency for the acquisition of a product that is in high demand by the Cuban population, at a time when the country’s economy is going through a severe crisis, which has a negative impact on national food production.
The specialist also estimates that we will have to wait to see if these variations are due to “a temporary interruption of the trend” shown so far by prices.
3/3 The value of the kg of USA chicken exported to Cuba in January 2023 (0.93 USD) was 26% higher than the previous month (1.26), a notable decrease that reverses the general trend of 2022. There will be what to wait to confirm if it was a temporary interruption of the trend pic.twitter.com/u23bDFmaSQ
— Pedro Monreal (@pmmonreal) March 8, 2023
The Cuban Government has planned for 2023 the purchase of 304 thousand tons of chicken, mainly for its distribution through the regulated basic basket, according to exposed recently Alejandro Gil, head of the Ministry of Economy and Planning (MEP).
If this strategy is fulfilled, the country has calculated expenses for this concept of 418 million dollars. This figure does not take into account the transportation costs, calculated between 7 and 8 million for the charter of a ship with a capacity of 4,500 tons, added the deputy prime minister,
US bipartisan delegation evaluates opportunities for trade in food and agricultural products in Cuba
Cuba is going through a long economic crisis, aggravated in recent years by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the increase in sanctions imposed by the US government and the ineffectiveness of the measures adopted internally to overcome this situation.
Food shortages are one of the main causes of the sustained growth in prices and the galloping inflation that the island is experiencing, and has forced the country to import almost 80% of the products needed to meet current demand.
