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Cuba: Cuba Agriculture Profile 2012

2012/03/06

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Cuba Agriculture Profile 2012

Reference Date: 20-May-2011

 


FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT

  1. Sowing of the main 2011 rice season delayed due to lack of rainfall

  2. 2010 rice production significantly lower than that of 2009

  3. 2010/11 sugarcane harvest estimated to be the lowest in a decade

Sowing of the main 2011 rice season delayed due to dry weather

Cuba's rainy season usually begins in May but no rainfall was recorded by the middle of the month, and in April average rainfall was insubstantial. Havana and Pinar del Rio, on the west of the island, are the provinces most affected by dry weather. It is possible that the Government's plans to boost production for this season by increasing the sown area and providing more access to agricultural machinery may not be implemented if lack of rains persists.

Less rice produced in 2010 due to insufficient rainfall

Rice (paddy) production in 2010 was estimated at 495 000 tonnes, 12 percent below the good level reached last year but still above the average for the last five years. The reduced harvest was due to the general shortage of rainfall during the first stage of the agricultural season, with the exception of the province of Granma - the country's largest producing area.

 

The prolonged dry weather during the first half of last year had a detrimental effect on other food crops, particularly bean crops, and on livestock. The 2010/11 sugarcane harvest is almost complete and it is estimated that production will be the lowest in a decade. In general, it is estimated that the agricultural and livestock yields for 2010 fell by 7.5 percent compared to 2009.

Commercialization of imported rice permitted

After the reduced 2010 rice production, the Government permitted the inclusion of imported rice on the list of products that can be sold on the parallel market. According to the new provision, imported rice will be sold at 5 pesos per pound (USD 0.216/kg) while locally produced rice will remain at 3.5 pesos per pound (USD 0.151/kg) via the rationing system.

 
Agriculture in Cuba has played an important part in the economy for several hundred years. Agriculture contributes less than 10 percent to the gross domestic product (GDP), but it employs roughly one fifth of the working population. About 30 percent of the country's land is used for crop cultivation.
 
During each of these periods, agriculture in Cuba has confronted unique obstacles and underwent numerous challenges.
Before the revolution 1959, the agricultural sector in Cuba was largely oriented towards and dominated by the US economy. After the communist government took over, the Soviet Union supported the Cuban agriculture by paying premium prices for Cuba's main agricultural product, sugar, and by delivering fertilizers. Sugar was bought by the Soviets at more than five times the market price. Also 95 percent of its citrus crop was exported to the COMECON. On the other hand, the Soviets provided Cuba with 63 % of its food imports and 90 percent of its petrol.
 
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Cuban agricultural sector faced a very difficult period. The agricultural production fell by 54% between 1989 and 1994. The answer of the Cuban government was to strengthen the base of agricultural biodiversity by making a greater range of varieties of seed available to farmers. In the 1990s, the Cuban government prioritized food production and put the focus on small farmers Already in 1994, the government allowed farmers to sell their surplus production directly to the population. This was the first move to lift the state's monopoly on food distribution Due to the shortage in artificial fertilizers and pesticides, the Cuban agricultural sector largely turned organic, with the Organopónicos playing a major role in this transition
 
Today, there are several different forms of agricultural production, including cooperatives such as UBPCs (Unidad Básica de Producción Cooperativa) and CPAs (Cooperativa de Producción Agropecuaria).
Some of this is described in the documentary The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil

Urban Agriculture

Due to the shortage of fuel and therefore severe deficiencies in the transportation sector a growing percentage of the agricultural production takes place in the so-called urban agriculture. In 2002, 35,000 acres (140 km²) of urban gardens produced 3.4 million tons of food. In Havana, 90% of the city's fresh produce come from local urban farms and gardens. In 2003, more than 200,000 Cubans worked in the expanding urban agriculture sector

Crops

Sugar

Until 1960, the USA received 33% of their sugar imports from Cuba. However, the sugar production has fallen from approx. 8 million tons to approx. 3,2 million tons in the 1990s.

Tobacco

Cuba has the second largest area planted with tobacco of all countries worldwide Tobacco production in Cuba has remained about the same since the late 1990s. Cigars are a famous Cuban product worldwide and almost the whole production is exported The centre of Cuban tobacco production is the Pinar del Río Province . Tobacco is the third largest source of hard currency for Cuba. The income derived from the cigars is estimated at 200 MioUS$. The two main varieties grown in Cuba are Corojo and Criollo.
 

Citrus

Cuba is the world's third largest producer of grapefruit. 60% of the citrus production are oranges, 36% grapefruit.[14]. In the citrus production the first foreign investment in Cuba's agricultural sector took place: In 1991, the participation of an enterprise from Israel in the production and processing of citrus is the Jagüey Grande area, approx. 140 km east of Havana, was officially recognized. The products are mainly marketed in Europe under the brand name Cubanita.

Rice

Rice plays a major role in the Cuban diet. Rice in Cuba is mostly grown along the western coast. There are two crops per year. The majority of the rice farms are state-frams or belong to co-operatives[16]. Cuba has been a major importer of rice recently the annual rice imports have approached 500 000 tonnes of milled rice. The production of rice is limited due to the shortage of water and similar to other industries in Cuba the lack of fertilizers and modern agricultural technology. The yield per hectar remains lower than the average of Central American and Caribbean countries

Potato

The per capita consumption of potatoes in Cuba amounts to 25 kg per year. Potatoes are mainly consumed as French fries. The potato production areas (in total 37,000 acres) are concentrated in the Western part of Cuba. The main variety grown in Cuba is the Désirée[18]. Seed potatoes are partly produced locally. Some 40,000 tons of seed potatoes are imported annually from Canada and the Netherlands
 

Cassava

Some 260,000 acres (1,100 km²) are planted with cassava The cassava originates from the Latin American and Caribbean region and is grown in almost every country of the region. Cuba is the second largest producer of cassava in the Caribbean with a production of 300,000 t (2001) However, the yield per hectare is the lowest of all Caribbean countries. Most of Cuba's production is used directly for fresh consumption. Part of the cassava is processed to sorbitol in a plant near Florida, Central Cuba

Tropical fruits

Plantains and bananas account for over 70 % of production with plantain 47% and banana 24% of the local production. Both are only produced for domestic consumption. Other tropical fruits produced in Cuba are mango, papaya, pineapple, avocado, guava, coconut, and anonaceae (sugar apple family).
 
 
03/12/2010  Severe downpours caused by the tropical storm Paula in October
Heavy downpours and strong winds caused by the tropical storm in mid-October seriously damaged infrastructure. But the abundant rainfall helped to improve soil humidity levels that had been affected by the long dry period in the first half of the year.
 
 
2010 rice output is expected to fall below the 2009 good harvest
The 2010 main cereals harvest is now in progress. Preliminary estimates indicate a 4 percent fall from last year's comparatively high production levels, due to the serious shortage of rainfall in the first few months of the cropping season. However production is forecast to remain above the average of the past five years thanks to the good harvest in the main production province of Granma, which is only slightly affected by the lack of rainfall.
 
Crop and livestock production is lower in 2010
Because of the prolonged drought from September 2009 to June 2010 in the first half of 2010 total agricultural and livestock production fell by 7.5 percent compared with the same period in 2009. Beans have been among the most seriously affected crops. This year's sugar harvest is also expected to be the lowest this century.

Because of this fall in output, the government has cut sugar rations by 20 percent per month from the previous five pounds (2.27kg).
 
Agriculture
Farming is the mainstay of the economy and employs nearly a fifth of the labor force. During the mid 20th century, almost all farms came under state control. Most farms were run as state farms, owned and operated by the government. Some farms were owned and operated by peasant cooperatives, which were owned jointly by the government and groups of farmers. Only a few small farms stayed under the control of individual owners. There is very little privately owned farmland. In any case, farmers had to sell their goods to the state at prices fixed by the government. But in 1994, farmers were authorized by the government to sell their surplus production on the open market after certain quotas had been met. In time, small farmers’ markets came up across the island and sold a variety of products, including fruits, vegetables, and other foods, directly to the public.
Sugarcane is by far the chief crop; by value, it provides about three-fourths of Cuba's exports. Cuba is one of the leading producers of sugar in the world. Tobacco is usually Cuba's second-largest agricultural export. Other important export crops include citrus fruit and coffee. Rice, corn, cassava, yams, tomatoes, bananas and potatoes are among the crops grown mainly for domestic consumption. Cattle ranching and dairy farming are becoming increasingly important. Hogs and chickens are also raised in an effort by the government to increase the production of livestock farming.

Fishing
Since the revolution of the mid 20th century, Cuba's fishing industry has expanded rapidly, largely due to heavy investment in modernizing the commercial fishing fleet. State-owned Cuban fishing fleets range over the Caribbean Sea and parts of the North Atlantic Ocean. Lobster, tuna, and shrimp make up most of the catch. The important fishing ports are Caibarien, Cienfuegos, and Havana.
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