Cuban Exports
 |
Dave Schuler | Sunday, September 2, 2007 |
Does somebody else’s off-hand comment ever catch in your mind so that you just have to research it a little farther? That happens to me all the time, most recently with respect to this comment about Cuban exports from David Bernstein (hat tip: Glenn Reynolds):
And, for the unitiated, Cuba is not actually economically isolated from anywhere but the U.S., it just doesn’t sell much of anything that anyone wants to buy.
Really? Delving back into my elementary school geography lessons, I remembered that Cuba’s main exports were sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, and citrus. After a little research I was rather surprised to learn that medical supplies have become an important Cuban export. Would I be out of line in wondering if that weren’t part of a deliberate program on the part of the Cuban government to get into some higher value exports? What about the rest?
Sugar is Cuba’s overwhelmingly most important export. Here’s a great resource for statistics related to sugar production. I learned here that Cuba is one of the highest-cost producers of cane sugar. On this page from the U. S. Department of Agriculture I learned that some of the keys to Brazil’s strength in the sugar market are the weakness of the real and relatively low costs of transportation to the U. S., a major market for Brazilian sugar. And Brazil is improving its position by investing in some new facilities:
Brazil is enhancing its export ability by improving transportation and loading facilities. In 1999, four new automated sugar terminals began operating in the southern port of Santos. This has reduced costs and speeded up the flow of exports to the world market.
Brazil and India are the heavyweight champions of sugar production.
Here are my tentative conclusions about Cuban exports:
- U. S. and EU sugar subsidies result in both the U. S. and the EU producing too much sugar (and importing less sugar), keeping prices low.
- The U. S. is Cuba’s natural trading partner. The trade embargo hurts Cuba’s sugar exports, eliminating what would otherwise be a great advantage in transportation.
- Cuba could probably stand some capital improvements to lower its production costs. Is it possible that foreign investors aren’t much interested in putting money into a Communist dictatorship? (or are discouraged)
The United States does consume quite a bit of sugar (as I can tell by looking around at my fellow citizens). So Cuba does produce things that people want. But given the situation in the world sugar market they can’t do it at a price that people want to pay.
Cross-posted from The Glittering Eye
About the Author: Over the years Dave Schuler has worked as a martial arts instructor, a handyman, a musician, a cook, and a translator. He's owned his own company for the last thirty years and has a post-graduate degree in his field. He comes from a family of politicians, teachers, and vaudeville entertainers. All-in-all a pretty good preparation for blogging.
He has contributed to OTB since November 2006 but mostly writes at his own blog, The Glittering Eye.
- None Found
- Paradox of Choice Paradoxically Untrue
- Private Forecasters Support Claim That Stimulus Worked
- Entertaining Kids During the Holidays
- How Much Will Escalation Cost?
- No Party of No
- Thought of the Day
- Queer International Studies
- OTB Latenight – r.e.m.
- Krugman on the Debt and Deficits
- A Question About Bonuses and Bailouts
Given the enormous substitution of high fructose corn syrup(made in the USA)for cane sugar in US foods, does cuba's sugar even matter?
I think you may be confusing cause and effect, M. Murcek. Here in the U. S. we pay the highest prices in the world for sugar—because of the embargo on Cuban sugar and the subsidies on domestic sugar. That makes substitutes more attractive.
Yes, I would say offhanded human figures in capital improvements. Just about everywhere, of course, but most pertinent to your point, is the transportation infrastructure as regards sugar. Last I knew, Huber was still running with steam locomotives to transport their crop from the fields. That's a practice that even China has gotten out of, just recently.
I believe that the Cuban peso is set equal to the dollar. That is the official exchange rate is 1 to 1. Artificially high exchange rates could be another reason Cuba's exports aren't competitive. The only thing of value Cuba exports that comes to my mind are cigars.
The embargo against Cuba may be detrimental to the US. It does not stop the Cubans selling their crop elsewhere.
Bring on the kosher, Cuban sugar Coca-Cola!
Comments are Closed
