Cuba imports more than 16 million eggs per month from the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic exports an average of 16.5 million eggs to Cuba each month, according to authorities from that country.

The Dominican government has significantly increased the sales of eggs and other agricultural products to several Caribbean islands and other countries. In January, it exported 37 million units of eggs to Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Guyana, assured the Minister of Agriculture, Limber Cruz, during a conference with the local press.

The senior Dominican official stated that exports correspond to production surpluses, after meeting domestic demand.

Between June 2023 and August 2024, Cuba imported eggs from the Dominican Republic for a value of 6,726,483 dollars.

Cuba also imports eggs from countries such as Colombia and the United States. In fact, the latter are sold in state-owned stores that operate in foreign currency and by micro, small, and medium enterprises (mipymes).

Online stores on the island also sell eggs sourced from the U.S., although the regime claims that the U.S. embargo prevents it from purchasing basic food products.

The Cuban government has been unable in recent years to produce the necessary amount of eggs to supply the population, amid a deep economic crisis, during which the country has experienced a significant decline in protein production overall.

The authorities of the regime attribute the downfall of the agricultural sector to a lack of inputs, fuel shortages, and weather conditions. However, these latter factors do not seem to affect neighboring Dominican Republic, despite its geographical proximity to Cuba.

According to the Cuban government, the production of eggs has collapsed due to a lack of feed and financing to acquire raw materials. Last October, the Minister of Agriculture, Ydael Pérez Brito, revealed that, instead of producing between four and five million eggs per day, only 1,200,000 are being produced, when they manage to feed the livestock.

Pérez Brito reported that, in the poultry program, four years ago there were 8,000,000 chickens recorded, including layers, breeders, and replacements; however, last year, only 3,000,000 were counted. "We have decreased by 5,000,000 chickens in four years," he admitted.

Due to the lack of a historically essential food in the diet of Cubans, a carton of eggs has reached astronomical prices in the informal market, far exceeding the minimum salary or pension.

In 2024, Cubans reported the exorbitant cost of a “file” of chicken seed: 5,000 pesos in the black market, a price that a low-wage worker or a retiree, with their minimal pension, cannot afford.

Amid the food crisis, it was reported in the middle of last year that the Avícola de Holguín Company (Avihol) had sacrificed at least 54,000 laying hens due to a lack of feed to nourish them.

Months later, outrage erupted among Cubans over the burning of a container full of eggs in a warehouse in Consolación del Sur, Pinar del Río. Apparently, the goods had spoiled due to poor storage conditions or another reason; however, there was no official statement regarding this alarming incident.

Frequently Asked Questions about Egg Importation in Cuba from the Dominican Republic