Here is a single data table from USDA's PSD database showing Cuba's corn, soybeans, meat, and wheat supply-demand for the past ten years. The file also lists population and area/production for sugarcane.
Basically, although we think of Cuba as a "sizeable island country," its population is listed by the UN at only 11 million people. The overall area harvested of total grains, oilseeds and sugarcane is only about 2 million acres. Presently, Cuba imports about 35 mil bu of corn and less than 5 mil bu of soybeans -- presumably from Brazil. Meat consumption per capita is very low.
So unless the USDA's data is inaccurate, the agricultural export market opportunity in Cuba is small. Likewise, quite probably, the import opportunity -- let's say for advanced sugarcane ethanol--seems also quite limited.
In terms of agricultural productivity, the country looks well behind the rest of the world: Cuba's corn yield appears to be about 38 bushels/acre, compared to 63 for the world excluding the major Export Hubs of US, Brazl/Arg, and Black Sea. China's yield is 94 bu/ac. -- So maybe Cuba represents a small import market for fertilizer, chemicals, seeds, and technical know-how.
Bill
--
Bill Hudson
The ProExporter Network
|
