Cuba keeps buying chicken from the United States despite sanctions
USDA data show Cuban chicken purchases in April 2026 exceeded January's; in 2022 chicken was more than 85% of the $328.5 million Cuba spent on US food.
Official claim
“No one goes hungry; the ration book covers the basic basket.”
The government's central argument before international food forums.
The documented reality
94% of the population lives in extreme poverty according to the OCDH, and 8 out of 10 Cubans skip meals. The rationed basket arrives incomplete, late, and partly made up of donations.
Verified records and reports (7)
Every entry links to its original source.
The basic basket shrinks: rice and sugar below planned levels
In Guantánamo, the ration basket arrives with rice and sugar below planned amounts, without oil or coffee for months and with delays, according to 14ymedio; the situation is repeated across the country.
Fight breaks out in a line to buy chicken in Cuba
A fight breaks out in a line to buy chicken, reflecting the tension caused by the scarcity of basic foods.
Santiago de Cuba official admits on state TV there isn't enough flour for bread
On a Santiago de Cuba state TV program, an official admits live on air that there isn't enough flour to guarantee the bread ration.
Cuban farmer denounces the prices the state pays for milk and cattle
A Cuban farmer denounces on camera the low, state-imposed prices the Acopio monopoly pays for milk and cattle.
Despite the "blockade," Cuba buys over $250 million in chicken from the United States
A report on Cuba's purchases of US chicken, exceeding $250 million a year despite the official embargo narrative.
Where is the blockade? A ship from the US arrives in Cuba loaded with chicken containers
Footage of a ship from the United States being unloaded, carrying several containers of frozen chicken, at a Cuban port.