“Cuba is hoping that private farmers can literally plow the island out of a huge $11 billion trade deficit this year caused by rising food import costs and falling exports. The policy marks a major shift away from inefficient state farms that once occupied the lion’s share of the island’s agricultural land.”
It took close to 50 years, but Cuba has finally realized the benefits of private enterprise and capitalism. Since the totalitarian take over of the island, Cuba has depended on government run farms and cooperatives for its agricultural production. Due to inefficiency, which is very surprising from a government program, more than 3/4 of the farm land on the island remained idle. The totalitarian government hopes that individual private farms will help the government get out of its current trade deficit of $11 billion. So if Cuba is turning towards capitalism to sustain its socialist economy, why are we turning towards socialism to sustain our capitalist economy. That kind of sounds “bassackwards.”
The introduction of private farms is a step in the right direction for Cuba. I hope it is the first of many more to come.
Link to News Article: http://www.tampabay.com/news/world/article1028061.
