2 hrs ago
Cuba Offers Land to Indian Firms for Food Production
Cuba says it is having trouble getting enough food and energy.
Its ambassador to India has invited Indian companies to grow rice, beans and sugarcane on land in Cuba.
Cuba says some of the food could be sold to other countries.
The ambassador says US restrictions have made it harder for Cuba to get oil and other supplies.
He also said Cuba wants to use more renewable energy, especially solar power.
Cuba’s goal is for renewables to provide 30% of its energy by 2030.
India and Cuba already trade with each other, and that trade increased in 2025-26.
The proposal is one way Cuba hopes to work with Indian businesses.
Cuban Ambassador Juan Carlos Marsán Aguilera proposed that Indian companies grow rice, beans and sugarcane on land provided by Cuba.
Aguilera said the produce could be exported to other markets and that Cuba is seeking international business participation.
He attributed Cuba’s food and energy difficulties to the US blockade and said oil supplies from Venezuela and Mexico had stopped.
Cuba aims to raise the share of its energy generated from renewables, mainly solar, from 20–21% to 30% by 2030.
India-Cuba bilateral trade reached $24.31 million in 2025-26, up 31% from the previous year, according to India’s commerce ministry.
- Who
- Cuban Ambassador to India Juan Carlos Marsán Aguilera proposed the initiative to Indian companies.
- What
- Cuba would provide land for Indian firms to produce rice, beans and sugarcane, with some produce intended for export.
- Where
- Cuba.
- When
- The proposal was reported in the article; no specific date for the proposal is given.
- Why
- Cuba is seeking food production partnerships and international investment amid what its ambassador describes as food and energy difficulties.
Cuban government’s view
US administration’s stated view
US policy toward Cuba
Cuban government’s view
Aguilera called the restrictions a blockade and collective punishment, saying they have contributed to hardship and hindered oil supplies.
US administration’s stated view
The article reports that President Donald Trump described the situation with respect to Cuba as an unusual and extraordinary threat and declared a national emergency.
Key facts
- Crops proposed
- Rice, beans and sugarcane
- Cuba's renewable energy share
- About 20–21% of total energy demand, mainly from solar, according to Aguilera
- Renewables target
- 30% of energy demand by 2030
- India-Cuba trade
- $24.31 million in 2025-26, up 31% from $18.46 million in the previous year
- US executive order
- An order described in the article as passed in January 2026 imposed additional tariffs on countries providing oil to Cuba
- Cuba population
- 10.94 million in 2025, according to data cited in the article
Quotes
Juan Carlos Marsán Aguilera
Cuban Ambassador to India
“In the case of Cuba, in food production, if we don't have the financial capacity to buy all that we require from India, why don't we go for co-production? We offer the land in Cuba, and Indian companies can go to Cuba and produce in Cuba. We are talking about rice, beans, and sugarcane. We offer to Indian companies this possibility, go and produce there, and we can focus on export.”
livemint.com
Gopal Sarangi
Associate professor at TERI School of Advanced Studies
“India and Cuba are charting a new, long bilateral diplomatic relationship to collaborate on several emerging areas including energy. This would give a fresh impetus to the long-standing relationship between India and Cuba existing since the last several decades. The renewed thrust on energy is viewed in the context of the 'oil blockade' by the US leading to prolonged supply scarcity of electricity in Cuba.”
livemint.com
Sources
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