Cuban state media reported today that the island’s economy is expected to jump by 10% this year. According to an article by Reuters, Cuba’s economy minster said on a speech aired today that: “This year's plan is 10 percent and we are going to come in around that figure,” Economy and Planning Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez said at a meeting of economists on Monday, parts of his speech broadcast on state-run radio on Tuesday.
Rodriguez gave few details, simply stating “there is an important jump in industrial and agricultural production.”
An “industry source” also attributed Cuba’s economic expansion to the burgeoning tourism sector which averages approximately $2 billion in yearly gross income. If the government’s claims are true then the Cuban economy would have strengthened despite the U.S. embargo against the island as well as growth in the number of Cubans caught trying to enter the U.S.
Sources- Guardian UK, Xinhua, AFP, UPI
Image- Havana Journal
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