[wideasleep1]

Specifically, two events: "The plant was introduced by Jose Antonio Gelabert in the 18th century. French colonists later brought their own production methods and by the time of the Cuban revolution in 1959 the country was a major global exporter.

The political context and nationalisation of the industry led to much-reduced production."

followed by another whopper: " With the collapse of the Soviet bloc, Cuba lost 80% of its export trade." https://www.perfectdailygrind.com/2018/09/exploring-cubas-co...

[selectodude]

Which makes sense when the largest trading partner in the world which happens to be 90 miles from their shores won't do business with them.

The USSR did business with them as a middle finger to the US. The US doesn't do business with them as a middle finger to...the cuban people, the majority of which weren't even alive during the revolution.