Tuesday, September 16, 2008

$5 billion

Here’s a roundup of reports on damages from Gustav and Ike. The blow to food supply is particularly severe: crops lost in the field, stocks damaged in warehouses, and Cuba’s capacity to import affected by losses in sectors that generate foreign exchange earnings. It’s not yet clear how foreign assistance will measure up to this challenge, or how long it will take for farm production to return to normal. Beans cost 20 pesos per pound in farmers markets, more than double the norm, according to a report Rui Ferreira has from Havana.

  • Cuban housing officials now say 514,875 housing units were damaged, of which 91,254 were destroyed completely.

  • Agriculture ministry officials said last week that 700,000 tons of food was lost (including an amount of pork equal to eight percent of last year’s production), with heavy damage to plantains (80 percent of Holguin’s production lost), tubers, poultry, livestock, and more (El Nuevo Herald, La Jornada). More here from Reuters here, on coffee and tobacco, and on citrus here.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Now the Truth has been revealed! As Our Leader has just stated in his newest Reflections, the purpose of sending U.S. aid is to spy on the First Free Territory of the Americas. Besides, it is well known that Hurricanes Ike and Gustav were steered toward Cuba by the diablolical efforts of the U.S. Navy! Just see La Repubica for details.

Anonymous said...

Cuba has best hurrican protection program in developing world context, hands down... say what you will, but that's a fact... go as Hatians, Jamicans or Dominicanos where they would prefer to be during hurricane

Anonymous said...

Cuba has best hurrican protection program in developing world context, hands down... say what you will, but that's a fact... go as Hatians, Jamicans or Dominicanos where they would prefer to be during hurricane

Anonymous said...

Cuba has best hurrican protection program in developing world context, hands down... say what you will, but that's a fact... go as Hatians, Jamicans or Dominicanos where they would prefer to be during hurricane

Fantomas said...

Another CAT 5 , the Contrarevolution WILL BE TELEVISED