SAN LUIS POTOSÍ, Mexico.- The humanitarian donations made by United States to Cuba increased this year compared to the previous year, reaching the highest figures in a decade; in total, since 2014 they have reached almost 154 million dollars.
The data presented by the United States-Cuba Trade and Economic Council (USCTEC) highlight that donations up to July 2024 are higher than those for the whole of 2023. In just seven months, almost 39 million dollars have been reached, while in the previous year donations totaled 36.5 million.
Statistics do not contemplate donations or personal deliveries, made by travelers on flights and through third countries. “They are generally delivered to the Republic of Cuba using air carriers or containers on ships,” the report states.
Donations generally contain various products such as food, medical supplies, clothing, and reading material, among others.
The highest figures
This year’s figures exceed the total donation amount for 2023 ($36,563,551) by more than two million.
Shipments from the United States have seen a systematic increase, except in 2019 and 2020, when donations decreased.
Donated items are not included in calculations under the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 (TSREEA) or the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 (CDA).
Donations initially amounted to $939,705 in 2014 and gradually increased. They reached $4,619,588 in 2015; $4,755,859 in 2016; $6,122,601 in 2017; and $8,998,855 in 2018.
However, in 2019 the figure dropped to $7,150,989 and fell to $4,605,055 in 2020. It rebounded in 2021, when it reached $11,074,090. In 2022 it rose to $30,083,306.
On the other hand, exports…
The growth in donations coincides with an increase in commercial exports, mainly of chicken meat, from the United States.
Between January and July 2024, exports to Cuba reached some 146,000 tons, according to data from the US Department of Agriculture.
The figure, cited in a thread of X (formerly Twitter) by economist Pedro Monreal, represents the approximate equivalent of 5,840 containers and, at the same time, is less than that of the same period in 2023.
“But the value was 2.5% higher, indicating an increase in price,” says the analyst.
Regarding monthly exports, the number decreased by 7.5% in July 2024 and registered a 6.7% reduction in value. The price of 1.24 USD per kilogram (kg) of chicken was slightly higher than that of June (1.23USD/Kg), a FOB value (free on board at port of shipment).
Chicken meat is the source of animal protein increased consumption in Cuba and purchases from the US compensate for the acute agricultural crisis on the island.
Although it is a staple food on the island, it is in short supply even in the rationed quantities that the Cuban regime sells to the population, forcing Cubans to buy the product at a high price on the informal market.
