Ag Coalition Discusses Trade with Cuba

Delegates from the U.S. agriculture industry were in Cuba earlier this month for the Cuba-U.S. Agriculture Business Conference.  The 20 conference participants met with Cuban government officials and farmers.  While about 30% of Cuba's land area is currently used for farming, Cuban farmers do not have access to the latest technologies, equipment and inputs.  Much of the food for Cuba's 11 million people and four million annual tourists must be imported, including an estimated 30 million bushels of wheat, which comes primarily from the EU and Canada.

There are many advantages of importing food from the United States, most notably the proximity in terms of getting high-quality food in a timely and freight-efficient manner.  Arkansas U.S. Representative Rick Crawford spoke to the group regarding legislation that would allow for better trade of food between the U.S. and Cuba.  Crawford said “It’s about U.S. ag commodities and market access to areas that have really been difficult for us, and this is a market that I would certainly like to see us participate in.”

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