U.S. pressure hurts Cuban agriculture

Havana, Oct 27 (RHC) The economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the U.S. government against Cuba, in the 2021-2022 period, caused damages amounting to more than 270 million dollars to national agriculture, a national press report said today.

Granma newspaper relies on a report by the Ministry of Agriculture (MINAG) of this nation covering the period from August 1, 2021, to February 28, 2022.

The financial damages to the agricultural system amounted to 270 million 852 thousand 548 dollars, a figure that highlights the intensification of such policy, which causes millionaire losses, in general, for all the sectors of the Island, including the MINAG, one of the agencies of greater impact and importance for its mission of guaranteeing and satisfying the food needs of the population.

Of the seven business groups that make up the Ministry of Agriculture, Tabacuba, in charge of the integral management of the tobacco activity, suffered the greatest losses, with a value of 211 million 866 thousand 500 dollars, followed by the Agroforestal group and the business group Logística del MINAG.

Agroforestal lost 26 million 69 thousand 280 dollars, while Logística is affected by 25 million 97 thousand 381 dollars, states the note.

The message recalled that in a recent press conference, directors of Agriculture denounced the 243 measures imposed by the administration of the former US president, Donald Trump, which are kept in force by the current Government.

This economic war is hurting the business system, agricultural cooperatives, and individual producers and, consequently, on the production of food, vegetables, grains, and other items.

They also denounced the damages in lost income from exports of goods and services, losses due to geographic relocation of trade, and the effects on production, the report concludes. (PL)