LUBBOCK, TEXAS (RFD NEWS) — U.S. ag and food shipments to Cuba grew in 2025, even as legal and policy risk around Cuba trade remains a moving target for exporters. Data for January through November put U.S. food and agricultural exports to Cuba at $443.9 million, up 13.2 percent from the same period a year earlier.
The product mix indicates that Cuba relies heavily on U.S. protein and dairy channels.
Poultry shipments — led by frozen chicken leg quarters and other chicken cuts — were joined by sizable pork categories, including frozen swine cuts and processed pork items. Dairy lines were also prominent, including milk and cream products, butter, yogurt, and multiple cheese categories.
Staples and ingredients include rice, wheat flour, corn-based foods, beans, vegetables, and shelf-stable prepared foods.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Cuba remains a steady, nearby buyer of U.S. poultry, pork, dairy, and staples, but legal and compliance risks could still affect shipping and payment channels.
Tony St. James, RFD NEWS Markets Specialist
Most movement ran through Southeast export lanes, particularly Miami and Tampa, reinforcing the Gulf-to-Caribbean logistics corridor. That corridor can be sensitive to financing and compliance shifts that ripple through shippers and banks.
Later this month, Supreme Court arguments in two Helms-Burton cases are being watched for signals that could raise or lower legal exposure tied to Cuba-linked property claims, adding another layer of uncertainty around trade mechanics.
“It does not extinguish right away here — in any sort of sense — the real profitability concerns and people’s ability to pay bills and get to the other side of this in the very short term. This is where the skepticism builds.”
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