<P> Agriculture in Cuba has played an important part in the economy for several hundred years . Today, it contributes less than 10% to the gross domestic product (GDP), but it employs about 20% of the working population . About 30% of the country's land is used for crop cultivation . </P> <P> The inefficient agricultural industry in Cuba has led to the need to import large amounts of beef and lard . Cuba now imports about 70--80% of all the food its people consume and 80--84% of the food it provides via the rations to the public . The rationing program accounts for about a third of the food energy the average Cuban consumes . However these affirmations are contested . </P> <P> Cuba's agricultural history can be divided into five periods, reflecting Cuban history in general: </P> <Ul> <Li> Precolonial (before 1492) </Li> <Li> Spanish colonial (1492--1902) </Li> <Li> Cuban Republic (1902--1958) </Li> <Li> Castro's Cuba, pre-Soviet bloc collapse (1959--1989) </Li> <Li> Castro's Cuba, post-Soviet bloc collapse (1989--present) </Li> </Ul>

The most important crop raised in cuba before the fall of the soviet union