20 T H E C U B A R E V I E TV 



Cuban Commercial Matters 



Cuba as a Market for American Farm 



Products* 



By Luis Marino Perez, Commercial Attache, Cuban Legation, Washington, D. C. 



Cuba purchases from the United States, on the average, about $260,000,000 of 

 merchandise a year, a large part of which consists of farm products. 



Exports of Domestic Merchandise from the United States to Cuba, igiS-ig22 



1918 $214,004,000 



1919 266,960,000 



1920 503,199.000 



1921 183,987,000 



1922 124,148,000 



In the years 1Q21 and 1922 Cuba passed through a serious economic depression, 

 v/hich was naturally reflected in her imports. A very great improvement has, however, 

 taken place in Cuban economic conditions, and the imports of the Republic have in- 

 creased during 1923 in a marked degree. The imports for the first eight months of the 

 present year (Jan. to Aug., 1923) from the United States have amounted to $128,579,031 

 as compared with $78,423,694 in the corresponding period of 1922. 



Taking the figures for the fiscal year 1922-23, as given in "Monthly Summary of 

 Foreign Commerce of the United States" for June, 1923, pages 73-74, it will be seen 

 that the only countries that exceeded or approximated Cuba as a market for American 

 goods in said fiscal year were : 



United Kingdom $823,398,503 Italy $173,422,000 



Canada..... 658,204,375 Cuba 163,514,748 



Germany 293,131,640 Mexico 113,727,420 



France' 269,045,174 Netherlands 113,606,647 



All South America 258,684,390 Argentine 109,384,460 



Japan 212.975,967 



Cuba's rank in the export trade of the United States is the more significant in view 

 of her small population (3,120,000 inhabitants in 1922, according to the Cuban Census 

 Office). 



Cuba consumes, among other American farm products, relatively large quantities of 

 lard, bacon, cured hams and shoulders, pickled pork, condensed and evaporated milk, 

 eggs, potatoes, beans, rice, onions, corn, wheat-flour, coffee (from Porto Rico), codfish 

 and cottonseed oil, and to a lesser degree, lard compounds, canned and fresh beef, butter, 

 cheese, biscuits, fresh and canned fruits, dried peas, oats, canned vegetables and canned 

 fish. The following statistics will give an idea of the importance of the Cuban purchases 

 of a number of the above mentioned articles: 



Principal Farm Products Exported to Cuba from the United States, igig-1922 



Quantity Dollars 

 Bacon (pounds) 



1919 15,956,981 4,179,328 



1920 21,190,518 4,378,657 



1921 27,241,037 3,808,969 



1922-23 ■ 24,829,609 3,197,562 



*Unless otherwise stated all fiRurcs are from' United States official publications, namely: ''Foreign commerce and 

 navigation of the United States, 1Q21"; "Statistical abstract of the United States, 1921"; "U. S, trade with Latm America 

 in 1922" (published by the U. S. Dept, of Commerce); "Yearbook of the Department of Agriculture, 1922"; and "Monthly 

 summarv- of foreign commerce of the United States" for recent months. 



