New York, October 3, 2019. From the beginning of the implementation of the blockade against Cuba, the health and food sectors have been prioritized targets of U.S. government aggressions. Maneuvers aimed at promoting hunger and disease among the Cuban people and thereby undermining support for the Revolution have constantly been present in the plans and programs of the dirty war against the island.
During the last year, only in the food and agriculture branch, the repercussions registered totaled 412,230,614 dollars.
Sectors such as education, in which the State invests 23.7% of its budget, also report examples of the negative impact of the blockade. The main repercussions reported in this area are determined by the payment of increased freight rates for the transportation of products purchased in far-off markets, the limited access to scientific information and IT tools necessary for educational multimedia production, as well as obstacles to receiving payments for professional services provided abroad.
Between April 2018 and March 2019, the three educational programs planned for early 2019 by the "Enrique José Varona" University of Pedagogical Sciences and three U.S. universities (Minnesota, CUNY and Social Movements of Chicago) were cancelled. The Pedagogical University lost 11,000 dollars as a result.
Other areas, such as sports, have not been exempt from the damages caused by the U.S. blockade policy. Sports events such as the 22nd edition of the Terry Fox Run that was supposed to be held in Havana have been cancelled due to the impossibility of the U.S. to continue supporting the country in the holding of such events.
It should be mentioned that Cuba has been limited in the acquisition of sports equipment, mandatory according to the official regulations of international federations, because they are manufactured by U.S. companies such as LOUISVILLE, WILSON, XBAT, RAWLINGS and EASTON. In order to make these purchases, it has been necessary to resort to third countries, with a considerable increase in the prices of the products. If the island were able to access directly to the U.S. market, those products could be purchased at prices approximately 30 % lower.
Due to the blockade, the Caribbean Baseball Confederation has not been able to reach an agreement with the U.S. government to create a legal channel to pay the prizes to our country. The Cuban team that participated in the Caribbean Baseball Series, held in Panama from the 4th to the 10th of February of 2019, was unable to collect its $72,000 cash prize for winning the second place at the event. The same thing happened with several Cuban athletes who were unable to receive their $5,000 prize each.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations