A delegation of representatives of the agricultural sector of the United States closed a visit to Havana on Thursday with the hope of being able to sell more of its products to Cuba in the future, if the limitations of the embargo applied by Washington to the Island are eliminated.
The US delegation participated since Wednesday in the III Cuba-US Agricultural Conference in which they discussed with Cuban farmers the possibilities of sharing experiences and increasing trade.
III Cuba-USA Agricultural Conference Inaugurated In the Habana https://t.co/Fat9OSAFKc pic.twitter.com/3MWSHCiJaX
— Cuban Ministry of Agriculture (@MINAGCuba) April 7, 2022
During a press conference before the end of his stay in the Cuban capital, the vice president of the American Wheat Association, Dalton Henry, said that among agricultural businessmen in his country there is “a lot of interest in getting closer to Cuban farmers.”
“We are hopeful that we can expand trade, while other organizations in the US advocate for an improvement in bilateral relations,” said the businessman, who also commented that “there is substantial trade between the two countries, especially in the sector agriculture and that trade takes place despite all the challenges.”
Among the 25 members of the US group are producers, businessmen from different states and unions that harvest wheat, corn, beans, milk, rice, chicken, and other products, as well as exporters of beer and other beverages.
According to the agency Eph, the US Department of Agriculture indicated that only in 2021 the North American country doubled its chicken exports to Cuba, which amounted to 253 million dollars. Douglas Keesling, agricultural businessman and Farm Coalition representative from the state of Kansas, spoke of the interest of North American producers in “expanding trade” but “without the policies that hinder”.
In a meeting with participants in the III Cuba-United States Agricultural Business Conference, #Cuba ratifies its political, economic and commercial will to continue expanding trade with US agricultural producers. #VamosConTodohttps://t.co/uKMCm0iBm6
– Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) April 7, 2022
Keesling said that the US exports more than 50% of the food it produces. And he considered that trade between his country and the Island would be “mutually beneficial”, to which he added that he feels “optimistic”.
According to the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture of the United States, if the embargo against Cuba -in force since 1962- did not exist, the bilateral agricultural exchange would be around 1,000 million dollars per year compared to the current 250 million, points out Eph.
The North American businessmen and farmers also stated that the Cuban market is “very important” for them due to the closeness between the two countries, which is “key” for the commercialization of their products, and they trusted in the possibility of carrying out exchanges with Cuban scientists from the sector such as have done with other countries.
They said that they had the opportunity to visit the farms of Cuban farmers in the western provinces of Artemisa and Mayabeque and that they would like to receive them in the United States to show them how they use technologies in their productions.
The day before, the Cuban president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, received representatives of the visiting delegation, to whom he told them that in the midst of the current context that Cuba is experiencing, it is “very important” what the North American agricultural sector can contribute to his country and affirmed that “there is potential to forge paths and bridges together”.
Cuba and the US aspire to establish better agricultural cooperation
The Caribbean country has suffered from chronic shortages for decades. For this reason, there is a usual shortage of basic foods such as powdered milk, eggs, oil, bread, wheat flour and chicken, among others.
The economic crisis that has been aggravated by the strengthening of the US embargo, in combination with the prolonged effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to internal errors in the island’s macroeconomic management.
Efe/OnCuba.
