Colombia exports eggs to Cuba for the first time

Cuba is preparing to receive two containers of eggs that left Colombia on Monday, in an unprecedented shipment between both countries and that is carried out thanks to aagreement established at the last Havana International Fair (Fihav).

According to information from a Colombian newspaperTime The cargo left that South American nation at 11:00 p.m. on Monday, March 11, andcontains two 40-foot containers, equivalent to 518,400 eggs.

The first shipment, which the Colombian poultry industry sees as the starting point of a relationship for the sector and whichThey aspire from 2025 to be able to export a similar volume each month.

Gonzalo Moreno, executive president of the National Federation of Poultry Farmers of Colombia (Fenavi), pointed out that in the food area of Fihav, several commercial and health agreements were signed between the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) and Cenasa, the Cuban health authority.

The general manager of the ICA,John Fernando Roa Ortiz, pointed out that Colombia is free of avian influenza and highly virulent Newcastle disease, which ensures conditions for the biosecurity of the poultry industry in that country.

In addition, the entity has had the Poultry Sustainability Seal for two years, which represents the result of comprehensive work to promote sustainable practices in the sector, said the ICA manager.

The arrival of this cargo to Cuba represents a relief in the midst of a complex panorama for food on the island, forced to ask for help from different countries and organizations, such as theWorld Food Program, in favor of calming this situation.

Egg production in Cuba has plummeted by 50% due to the lack of feed and financing to acquire the raw materials with which to manufacture them, the authorities admitted last year.

In an interview with the official portalCubadebate, Jorge Luis Parapar López, president of the Food and Poultry Business Group (Gealav), stated that “Poultry production currently in Cuba is at 50 percent of capacity, both in the number of animals and production.”

According to Parapar,99% of the raw materials used to produce feed (also intended for pig production) are imported, such as corn and soy. With these, between 900 and 1,000 tons of feed are produced daily to feed the birds..

However,1,500 to 1,600 tons would be needed daily if they had all the animals that the national poultry program has.

These quantities, the manager alleges, would be enough to “satisfy the demand and have 10 or 15 eggs per month per consumer as before.”

These conditions are reflected in the Cuban diet and economy, which has seen the distribution of eggs in the basic basket decrease but the prices of the product in street sales increase.

In September, it was reported thatThe price of an egg carton had reached 3,000 Cuban pesos in Havana, more than the minimum wage received by a worker on the island (2,100 CUP).

An issue that has not found improvement over these months, becausePrices continue to range from 2,500 to 3,000 pesos and Cubans wonder when the unfortunate inflation that hits their pockets will stop.

The shipment of eggs from other nations to Cuba is not something new. A few months ago,Patrick Oppmann, the correspondent ofCNN on the island, he was surpriseddiscover the sale of eggs imported from the United States in a Cuban store.

"Cuba has been importing chicken from the United States for years and now also eggs..." said the reporter in his profile on the social network X, where he left a photo as proof.

The sale of eggs imported from the United States draws the attention of Cubans. Some users say that it is increasingly difficult to understand the economic embargo that limits trade relations between both countries and that Cuba uses as an argument for its low productivity in all sectors.