The amount of chicken exported from the United States to Cuba fell in March for the second consecutive month. It is the lowest level acquired since October 2022 despite the decrease in the cost per kilogram, “but the better prices could not be taken advantage of, probably due to the shortage of foreign currency,” presumes the Cuban economist Pedro Monreal, who analyzes the imports of this product to the Island on a monthly basis on his social networks.
In total, Cuba spent 17,830,000 dollars on the 18,280.1 tons purchased, while in February he had purchased 23,014.7 tons for $23,500,000. “The value of monthly chicken exports from the US to Cuba in March 2023 fell by 24.2% compared to February, which was reflected in a monthly contraction of 20.6% in tons exported,” Monreal points out. .
The kilogram of American chicken was sold to $0.97 the third month of the year, five cents less than in February, when it was at 1.02 dollars, although not as cheap as in January (0.93). Throughout the second half of 2022, chicken prices reached very high values, peaking in October, when it reached 1.29.
However, the price is much more attractive a priori than that of Brazil, another of the great suppliers of the product to Cuba. In his case, the product cost $1.27 in March, compared to $1.23 and $2.06 in February and January respectively. The calculations are made without counting freight and insurance, more expensive from Brazil due to the distance, although another determining factor is that the embargo forces Havana to pay in cash and in advance for food products from its northern neighbor.
Despite this, no more chicken was bought from Brazil either. Exports from that country to the Island also fell visibly, remaining at just 1,137.7 tons, compared to 3,565.7 in February, which was a very high amount for the average, which during 2022 was 2,769 tons, with maximums of 5,959. .8 in February of that year. Despite the fact that a meager 975.5 tons of Brazilian chicken were purchased in January 2023, Cubans perceive more presence of this product in stores lately.
The data published by Monreal also reveals that other traditional suppliers have practically disappeared from the map. Between January 2022 and March of this year, Spain has sent a few tons in half the months, a situation similar to that of Poland, although with higher quantities. The Netherlands, which in various periods sold quantities of more than 4,500 tonnes, has sold nothing in 2023, according to Trade Map figures.
With these same numbers, it can be seen that chicken imports were not so low since a year ago, in May 2022, when purchases were around 17,500 total tons, even less than the almost 20,000 of this March. With the difference that in the previous months of last year a large volume had been amassed, while so far in 2023, purchases have only fallen.
The accounts correspond to the reality that is lived on the Island, where for this month it is not expected that there will be chicken for the notebook except for those who have a medical diet and those under 13 years of age. The rest will have to settle for mincemeat and mortadella. The news was advanced in information from the Ministry of Domestic Trade in which the recent difficulties in supplying the basic family basket were explained.
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