Cuba offers land to Indian food firms amid US blockade

New Delhi: Faced with a serious food security crisis, Cuba’s ambassador to India, Juan Carlos Marsán Aguilera, has proposed joint food production in Cuba, under which the country would provide land to Indian companies to grow rice, beans and sugarcane, while exporting these products to other markets.

Cubans are bearing the brunt of the tightening U.S. blockade of the country, Aguilera said in an interview, adding that oil supplies from Venezuela and Mexico have stopped and no other country can sell to Cuba. He said that while Cuba’s infant mortality rate before US sanctions was 4 per 100 newborns, it has increased exponentially to 10 per 100 newborns, with people dying in the absence of proper medicine and medical equipment amid US sanctions.

“In the case of Cuba, in food production, if we do not have the financial capacity to buy everything we require from India, why don’t we go into co-production? We offer land in Cuba and Indian companies can go to Cuba and produce in Cuba. We are talking about rice, beans and sugar cane. We offer this option to Indian companies, to go and produce there,” Aguilera, we can focus on exports.

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US President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January 2026 stating that “the situation with respect to Cuba presents an unusual and extraordinary threat”, declaring it a national emergency and imposing additional tariffs on any country that “directly or indirectly sells or otherwise provides any oil to Cuba”. Trump called Cuba an “absolutely broken state” and declared that “freedom will come to Cuba” in a September 22 speech to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

India and Cuba have traditionally shared warm and friendly relations, ever since India was among the first countries to recognize the Cuban government after the 1959 revolution and the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1960. Bilateral trade between India and Cuba is set to grow 31% to $24.31 million in 2025-26 from $18.46 million a year ago, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce and Trade. earlier.

Aguilera said Cuba as a country is working very hard to overcome this situation and is contacting companies around the world, including India, to participate in Cuba’s economy, which is undergoing an energy transition.

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“We were more than 80% dependent on oil and fuel, which we should import from abroad. And now we are more determined to be energy self-sufficient. And the way for Cuba is renewable resources. We can no longer depend on oil, gas or from abroad. The main source, I can say, that we can use in Cuba will be solar energy. But also wind energy, hydro energy and many others, we would also like to connect with hydrogen and many other energies. India also has new experience with hydrogen and many others in this sector, we are opening this sector to foreign investment in our country,” said Aguilera.

India and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), comprising 33 countries, recorded a trade value of $50 billion in 2025-26, according to a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs. India’s total trade with the Latin America and Caribbean region, which includes 43 countries, was $39.19 billion in 2024-25, according to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

“We currently produce 20% to 21% of Cuba’s total energy demand through renewable sources, especially solar. And our goal is to reach 30% by 2030,” he added.

Cuba is a member of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), co-founded by India and France. Mint reported in August 2021 that India’s strategy to showcase its green credentials abroad gained momentum when state-owned NTPC Ltd secured a project management consultancy (PMC) contract to set up 900 megawatt (MW) solar projects under the ISA umbrella.

“The problem is that they are strengthening this policy of blockade against my country and imposing a collective punishment on our population. People are suffering the consequences of this policy of blockade, sanctions. Blockades of oil supply to the country. How can you accept this? An island that depends on the import of fuel, oil that is essential for their normal functioning, to supply electricity to the population,” said Aguilera.

With a population of 10.94 million in 2025, Cuba consumed approximately 117,295 barrels of oil per day and 15.81 TWh of electricity in 2024, according to energy data from the World Bank and the US Energy Information Administration.

Experts say it is a natural choice given India’s track record.

“India and Cuba are planning a new, long-term bilateral diplomatic relationship to cooperate in several emerging areas including energy. This would give a new impetus to the long-standing relations between India and Cuba that have existed since the last few decades. The renewed push on energy is seen in the context of the ‘oil blockade’ by the US, which is leading to a long-term shortage of electricity supply in Cuba,” said Gopal Sarangi, Gopal Sarangi Associate Professor at the School of Studies.

Sarangi also said that given India’s track record in developing renewable energy technologies, such a collaborative approach would open up new avenues for both countries.

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India’s last high-level visit to Cuba was that of Minister of External Affairs (MoS) Pabitra Margherita in November last year.

“India could contribute not only by extending technological support but also by building capacity and institutional support to accelerate the energy transition in Cuba,” Sarangi said. “India’s engagement, however, requires careful crafting of diplomatic, financial and geopolitical architecture given the current economic and geopolitical tensions facing Cuba. If structured well, this cooperation could herald good Indian diplomacy in the Global South.”