Cuba has entered the New Millennium with the need to join the global community. Challenges Cuba face include sporadic oil shipments at high prices from oil producing nations, including Venezuela, low sugar prices, decline in tourism and increasing unemployment in Cuba. Cigar production has not been adversely impacted by two hurricanes which damaged Wester n Cuba in the Fall of 2002. On a positive note, agricultural producers from the USA sold almost $150 million of goods to Cuba in 2005. High quality merchandise and minimal shipping costs could help offset, to a mild degree, other strains in the Cuban economy.