Brazil Confirms Shipment of Food and Agricultural Supplies to Cuba Amid US Blockade

Original article: Brasil confirma envío a Cuba de cargamento con alimentos e insumos para producción agrícola

Amid the intensifying US blockade against Cuba, the Brazilian government has confirmed the shipment of food and agricultural supplies to the island.

The announcement was made by Brazil’s Minister of Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture, Paulo Teixeira, during the opening of the 39th FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean in Brasília.

Teixeira detailed that the initiative will also provide assistance to Haiti and will be executed by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the National Supply Company (Conab).

President Lula Criticizes US Persecution of Cuba

During his inaugural speech at the FAO Regional Conference, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva criticized the US persecution of Cuba, arguing that the crisis on the island is not due to its productive incapacity but rather to those who wish to see it deprived.

«Cuba is not suffering from hunger because it doesn’t know how to produce; Cuba is not hungry because it doesn’t know how to generate energy. Cuba is hungry because there are those who want Cuba to be deprived of certain rights that everyone should have,» stated the Brazilian leader.

In this context, Lula also pointed out that some companies make more profit in a year than the total Gross Domestic Product of many countries, indicating that this wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few.

«When will we resolve this?» asked the Brazilian President, insisting that hunger should not be treated as a secondary issue dependent on the availability of surplus resources, but rather as a sacred right.

«Everyone should be able to have coffee, lunch, and dinner every day (…) When will we awaken to say that we do not want to beg? We want, in a sovereign manner, to feed our people in any country in Latin America,» emphasized Lula.

The Citizen