A bipartisan delegation from USA headed by the Democratic congresswoman Salud Carbajal, began a visit to Cuba with the objective of analyzing the current state of agricultural practices on the Island and the state of food supplies from the northern nation.
Members of the group representing the House Agriculture Committee include Republican Jim Baird and Democrat Jahana Hayes, according to a note posted on the House Agriculture Committee website.
The United States is one of the largest suppliers of Cuba’s agricultural imports.
⁰Today, I am leading a delegation from @HouseAgDems & @HouseAgGOP to Cuba to survey the impacts of US commodities, meet with Cuban farmers, and discuss ag and related issues with local officials. pic.twitter.com/SoAgYsfGrq– Rep. Health Carbajal (@RepCarbajal) November 19, 2022
“As members of the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives, we work every week in Washington to track the impact that US agriculture and agricultural trade is having on nations around the world. And since the United States is one of the largest suppliers of imports farms in Cuba, we look forward to seeing the impact of US products and the opportunity to study local agricultural practices,” the text reads.
The statement also states that the members of the delegation will meet with farmers and agricultural experts to exchange on these issues and “identify where there may be opportunities for mutual economic benefit for US companies and the Cuban people.”
Another of the purposes would be to evaluate the impact that products arriving from the United States are having on Cuban markets and homes.
“We are looking forward to reporting our findings to our colleagues and to our committee upon our return,” the information highlights.
At the moment, the Cuban authorities have not provided details about the presence of this delegation on the island, which, according to what has been reported, will be in Cuba until the beginning of next week.
Cuban diplomat Rodney González, from the Cuban embassy in Washington, confirmed the news through his profile on the social network Facebook.
In his entry, González considered that “Cuba’s purchasing power in the United States could multiply if it were not for the absurd blockade aimed at denying resources, and the archaic forms of payment (in cash and in advance) in which we are obliged to access this market.
It is not the first time that US officials have discussed with their counterparts in Cuba the possibilities of increasing exchanges in this sector. Agricultural producers from both nations exchanged last April about formulas to promote cooperation in this regard at times of serious shortages and food shortages on the Island.
Cuba and the US aspire to establish better agricultural cooperation
Then Paul Johnson, representative of the Agricultural Coalition of the United States, identified agriculture as one of the most important sectors in the relations between the two countries, and advocated the elimination of the obstacles that prevent a better flow in the trade of this type of goods.
According to data from the Department of Agriculture (USDA), only in 2021 the country doubled its chicken exports to Cuba, which amounted to 253 million dollars.
