NASHVILLE, TENN. (RFD-TV) — U.S. agricultural and food exports to Cuba continue to grow under long-standing trade law, reaching a cumulative milestone of more than $8 billion since shipments resumed in late 2001. Recent data show that trade is accelerating modestly, even without changes to U.S. sanctions or financing rules.
Exports of U.S. ag and food products to Cuba totaled nearly $34 million in September 2025, up almost 9 percent from a year earlier. For the first nine months of 2025, shipments reached about $359 million, roughly 18 percent higher year over year, placing Cuba among the top 50 U.S. ag export destinations worldwide.
Trade is governed primarily by the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000, which allows direct commercial exports of food and agricultural commodities on a cash-only basis. That structure limits volume growth while making Cuba a reliable buyer with minimal credit risk. Historically, products have included poultry, feed grains, wheat, rice, soy products, and processed foods, with shipments to Cuba’s re-emerging private sector.
Despite political constraints, proximity to U.S. ports and consistent food demand continue to support steady trade.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Cuba remains a small but dependable, cash-only outlet for U.S. grain and food products.
Tony St. James, RFD-TV Markets Specialist
Meet FarmHERs Cathy and Bailey Payne, a grandmother-granddaughter duo carrying on their family’s farming legacy at Block Island Farm in Rhode Island. They raise egg-layers and have expanded to grow fruit and herbs and cut flowers to fill community needs.
October 21, 2019 12:30 PM
· FarmHER
October 16, 2019 02:08 PM
·
September 25, 2019 02:09 PM
·
Turkey raises tariffs on some U.S. Agricultural goods – extending a fight between the two nations that sent Turkey’s currency plummeting.
August 15, 2018 04:48 PM
·
Ten years ago, FarmHER Jen Welch started a homestead on a single acre in Buena Vista, Colorado. The original idea was to grow food for her growing family.
September 15, 2016 02:25 PM
· FarmHER
Researchers now have new technology to help gauge what healthy cattle eat and how farmers can limit their feed costs, which can be expensive.
March 05, 2014 03:33 PM
·
Dairy cows produce more milk for heifers than for baby bulls, according to new research from Kansas State University and Harvard University.
March 04, 2014 11:43 AM
·
The use of ultrasound may make growing beef more efficient.
February 20, 2014 06:21 PM
·
