HAVANA – Cuba said Tuesday that it has been able to overcome the global food crisis as well as reduce the import of foreign trade despite the decades old United States trade embargo.

Foreign Trade Minister Raul de la Nuez said the Caribbean nation was able to accomplish this due to a national effort to increase the production of rice, beans, pork, milk and coffee, which had led to a savings of hard currency. That, he said, had a positive effect on the country’s trade balance.

The Cuban Minister said that special attention was also being paid to analyzing domestic production before importing food.

He noted that the 2008 import replacement program included food and industrial supplies of high quality and added that experts from the Agriculture Ministry said the emphasis on local production could save the island millions of dollars.

The Foreign Trade Ministry (MINCEX) said Havana had increased imports of lubricants, machinery, equipment, food, metals, manufactures and transportation supplies by six percent last year.

It said that the country’s trade with Latin America and the Caribbean grew by two percent or one-third of the total imports.