Food insecurity in Cuba is growing as its crop production has steadily declined, due in part to hurricanes, flooding and drought, making the country more reliant on imports, according to a study by USDA’s Economic Research Service.
Based on an estimate of Cuba’s gross domestic product, the ERS study says 37.8% of Cuba’s population, or 4.2 million people, may have been food insecure last year.
In 2023, Cuba had an estimated food gap of 225 calories per person; a food gap is the difference between the amount of calories in food available to consumers and the amount needed to consume at least 2,100 calories a day, ERS says.
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“This level of food insecurity reflects high domestic food prices, which reduce household purchasing power, particularly for lower income households in which food accounts for a larger share of total expenditures,” the study says.
According to the report, U.S. agricultural exports to Cuba have risen steadily from $157 million in 2020 to $337 million in 2023. Chicken accounts for nearly 90% of U.S. exports to Cuba.
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