In the first nine months of 2025, Cuba imported $355 million worth of agricultural products from the United States, 15% more than the previous year. This record figure includes significant increases in pork, sugar, coffee, grains, and animal feed, despite the crisis in national production. Cuban authorities face challenges in food sovereignty amid the US embargo, though food sales have been exempt since 2001.
Cuba's reliance on food imports from the United States has intensified in 2025, according to US Department of Agriculture data. Between January and September, the Caribbean nation spent $355 million on these products, exceeding the same period in 2024 by 15%.
One of the most notable increases was in pork, with purchases totaling $33.6 million, more than double the $16.3 million spent in the same period of 2014. This rise coincides with a crisis in local production: last year, only 9,000 tons were produced, nearly half of the 16,500 tons from two years earlier and 95.5% less than the 200,000 tons in 2018. Farmers attribute these low yields to shortages of animal feed and difficulties in finding labor.
Iconic products like sugar also highlight this dependence. Cuba, once the world's leading producer, imported $14.9 million worth of sugar this year, compared to $11.1 million in 2024. Traditionally, the country consumed 700,000 tons and exported the surplus, but now it imports to supply its population and cannot fulfill export contracts. Since at least 2020, every sugar harvest has been the worst in a century.
Coffee imports rose 32%, from $8.4 million to $11 million, due to a 51% drop in national production over the last five years, per the National Bureau of Statistics and Information. Priority on foreign sales leaves Cubans without access in ration stores, turning to informal markets with low-quality blends.
Tobacco imports surged 83% to $355,000 from $194,000 the previous year, despite record premium international sales; local production fails to meet domestic demand. Grains and animal feed nearly quadrupled to $23.8 million from $6.8 million, a five-year record.
Cuba depends on imports for over 80% of its basic food needs, sourced from countries including Guyana, Vietnam, China, Turkey, Venezuela, and Portugal. US food and medicine sales to Cuba have been exempt from the embargo since 2001, but require advance payment.