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Our statistics on Cuban trade for the period 1993 through 1998 are drawn primarily from data provided by Havana’s partners. Partner trade data include shipping costs in Cuba’s exports but not its imports, the reverse of normal practice.

The 1999 handbook contains the most recent full-year data available from Cuba’s trade partners. The first section—tables 1 through 7—includes breakdowns of Cuba’s total trade by country and commodity. In tables 1 through 5, we have estimated Cuba’s trade totals in dollars by aggregating partner statistics. In some cases, Cuba’s key trade partners are included in the "Other" category rather than listed separately because partner trade data are not available. The export tonnages for sugar and nickel shown in tables 6 and 7 are those Havana has reported to commodity trade organizations. The second section of the handbook—tables 8 through 64—provides commodity breakdowns for bilateral trade from the official data of 46 countries. With more complete data, we have revised some figures for 1993-97 that appeared in our previous editions.

For brevity, we have omitted country tables in which total exports or imports are less than $10 million for all years during the period 1993-98; editions of the Handbook through 1996 omitted tables in which total exports or imports were less than $5 million for the preceding five-year period. In addition, exports or imports of commodities valued at less than $500,000 in all years during the same time frame have also been excluded. Components may not always add to the totals shown because of rounding.

¹ Updates Cuba: Handbook of Trade Statistics, 1998.

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