US chicken exports to Cuba plummeted almost 50% in February

US chicken meat exports to Cuba plummeted almost 50% last February, compared to the previous month.

Economist Pedro Monreal said that this item fell 47.5% in tonnage and 42.4% in value.

These data, revealed by theAgriculture department from the United States, indicate that although in January the tons of chicken meat exported by the US to Cuba registered the sixth highest monthly historical value since 2002; February levels fall again to the minimums recorded in November 2023.

Given that these exports from the United States have been, until now, the main source of animal protein in Cuba, this decline could indicate a worrying fragility in food security, especially in the midst of a national agricultural crisis, the expert explained.

The price per kilogram of American chicken exported to Cuba in February 2024 was 1.21 USD, an increase of 9% compared to the previous month, 1.11 USD/kg, FOB (Free On Board) price figure in the port of embarkation.

The figures provided by the United States Department of Agriculture cover all exports ofchicken meat destined for Cuba, regardless of the marketing entity (state, cooperative or micro, small and medium-sized enterprise).

The United States had exported agricultural and food products to Cuba last January for $45,168,873, an increase of 39.4% compared to the same period in 2023.

The Department of Agriculture detailed in its report corresponding to the first month of the year that the figure is large becausechicken purchases had exceeded previous sales volumes, with $33,012,358 dollars.

Monreal then stated that the tons of chicken meat exported by the US to Cuba registered in January 2024 the sixth highest monthly historical value since 2002.

Last year, the United States increased food exports to Cuba by 4.2 percent, with a total of $301,727,842 dollars.