Related videos:
Agricultural and food exports from the United States to Cuba totaled $102.8 million in the first quarter of 2026, down from $129.8 million in the same period of 2025, marking a year-over-year decline of 20.8%, according to data from the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council published this month.
The figure contrasts with the record from fiscal year 2025, when U.S. agricultural exports to Cuba reached 476.1 million dollars, a 19.4% increase compared to fiscal year 2024.
The decline in the first quarter of 2026 breaks that upward trend and occurs in a context of tightening sanctions by the Trump-Vance administration against the Cuban regime.
However, March 2026 showed a slight uptick: exports reached 36.9 million dollars, an increase of 0.85% compared to March 2025, although still below the 40.6 million recorded in March 2024.
The previous months had been more severe: in January 2026, the decline was 21.7% year-on-year, and in February it reached 36.6%, which brought the quarterly total to its lowest level in years.
Cuba ranks 51st among the 219 agricultural export markets of the United States, a slightly better position than last year's 52nd, indicating that the island's demand remains significant within U.S. agri-food trade.
Within bilateral trade, exports of vehicles and fuels to the Cuban private sector continue to show sustained growth.
Since 2022, the accumulated value of vehicle exports —electric, gasoline, bicycles, motorcycles, trucks, and spare parts— has exceeded 253 million dollars, with 27.2 million just in the first few months of 2026.
In parallel, Cuba imported 11.6 million dollars in fuels from the U.S. in the first quarter of 2026, with 75.6% concentrated in March—8.78 million dollars—destined exclusively for the private sector and explicitly excluding the government, the Armed Forces, and state entities.
This distinction is central to the strategy of the Trump-Vance administration, which combines maximum pressure on the Cuban government with a selective opening towards the emerging private sector on the island.
The decline in agricultural imports occurs amid the worst energy crisis in Cuba in decades. Venezuela halted shipments of subsidized oil—about 26,000 barrels daily—after the capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2026, and Mexico suspended its shipments nine days later due to pressure from Washington.
Cuba needs between 100,000 and 110,000 barrels per day to meet its total demand and only covers about 40% with domestic production, which has led to blackouts of up to 30 hours a day.
The new sanctions against GAESA announced by Marco Rubio on May 7, along with the Executive Order signed by Trump on May 1 regarding repression in Cuba, bring the total number of sanctions against the regime to over 240 since January 2026.
The UN warned in April 2026 that the energy crisis has a "systemic and increasingly significant" impact on Cuba, with a humanitarian plan aimed at assisting two million people across 63 municipalities in eight provinces and a funding shortfall of nearly 60 million dollars out of the 94 million required.
Filed under: