How much food does Cuba produce itself?
A.There have been real advances over the last 3 years in food production in Cuba. The focus of the food industry is to replace the imports for tourists (Cuba buys rice from Vietnam, wheat from France, meat from Argentina and New Zealand, and produce from Mexico, Spain, China, the Netherlands, and Canada), as well as to improve the supply to the population. In 1998, production totaled 1.2 billion pesos, a 9% growth over 1996. However, these figures are not up to the figures registered in 1989 before the collapse of the Soviet Union. But a 5% growth in 1999 brought Cuba closer to the 1989 levels of food production. Production for tourism and dollar stores has been increasing at an annual rate of 24% since 1994. Sales for 1999 were over $230 million, a 36% increase over the previous year.
