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September 25, 2002.
Virginia to market its wares to Cuba
By Peter Dujardin. AP. Wed Sep 25, 8:43 Am Et .
Food and agricultural companies from around Virginia are heading south this
week to try to land trade deals with Cuba - an effort to gain a foothold into
that country after decades of American embargoes.
The 12 Virginia companies going on the trade mission are among 288 U.S.
firms visiting Havana in the first U.S.-licensed agricultural trade show in Cuba
since the U.S. closed off trade with Cuba in 1960, shortly after Fidel Castro
came to power.
Although Congress two years ago opened a small crack in the trade embargo by
lifting restrictions on food and agricultural products, Virginia companies have
not, as of yet, taken advantage of the opening. Virginia has done virtually no
trade with the island nation in the past two years, despite the liberalization.
But starting at this week's trade show, Virginia will try to sell soybeans,
wood, apples and pork to Cuba. With depressed prices bringing down profits for
Virginia's farmers, some say this is as good a time as any to win new markets
for farming companies.
Full story at The Daily Press
Cuba Ag Show May Aid Embargo Debate
By Anita Snow, Associated Press Writer. Tue Sep 24, 3:01 Pm
Et.
HAVANA (AP) - Promoters of American food products attending an agribusiness
expo here this week could influence U.S. debate on ending 40 years of trade
sanctions against the island, Cuban officials said Tuesday.
"I think this will have an important impact when those friends of Cuba
go back home to the United States," said Pedro Alvarez, the head of Cuba's
import food agency Alimport.
Alvarez told a news conference the large number of participants — 288 —
in the U.S. Food and Agribusiness Exhibition beginning Thursday showed "a
desire by the (American) business community to restore normal relations with
Cuba."
The exhibitors, from 33 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico,
collectively manufacture or distribute more than 3,000 different products.
Florida has the most exhibitors with 32, followed by Illinois with 21.
Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, three Republican members of the U.S. House of
Representatives and Cuban President Fidel Castro ( news - web sites) are
expected to attend the fair.
Alvarez said he expects Cuba will sign "a significant number" of
contracts with the American exhibitors to buy more U.S. food and agricultural
products.
The conference comes as U.S. lawmakers fiercely debate whether to retain or
ease a long-standing trade embargo and rules barring most Americans from
traveling to the communist island. Cuba favors an end to both the embargo and
travel restrictions.
President Bush ( news - web sites), backed by Cuban exiles in south Florida,
says he will not allow any easing of restrictions until Cuba embraces democratic
and economic reforms.
But a growing number of lawmakers from farm states, including many
Republicans, support legislative efforts to ease or eliminate the restrictions.
In an exception to the sanctions, the U.S. Congress approved a 2000 law that
allowed the first direct commercial sales of American food to Cuba in four
decades.
Many participants in this week's four-day expo were among the first American
agribusinesses that began selling products to Cuba late last year.
Cuba initially refused to buy "a single grain of rice" under the
law because it does not allow American financing for the sales, which must be
made in cash.
But after Hurricane Michelle caused extensive damage to central Cuba in
November, authorities began taking advantage of the law to replenish food
reserves used to feed storm victims.
Since then, Cuba has purchased about $140 million worth of American food,
Alvarez said.
U.S. food products sold to Cuba include corn, rice, wheat, frozen chicken
parts, beans, turkey, apples, peas, eggs, onions, pork, lard and branded food
products such as baby food, cookies and condiments.
Alvarez said if the U.S. trade sanctions were eliminated, Cuba could buy up
to 70 percent of the $1 billion in food it imports annually from the United
States. That figure was expected to grow to $1.5 billion in the coming years, he
said.
Scheduled to arrive Wednesday afternoon, Ventura will be the third U.S.
state governor to visit the island since the 1959 Cuban revolution that brought
Castro to power.
North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven, a Republican, visited Cuba with a trade
delegation earlier this year. Fellow Republican Gov. George Ryan of Illinois has
come here twice, in 1999 and again this year.
Castro has said he plans to stop by the exhibition organized by PWN Exibicon
International LLC of Westport, Conn.
Three Republican U.S. Representatives are also scheduled to attend: Sonny
Callahan and Terry Everett of Alabama and Harold Rogers of Kentucky. The
agriculture departments of a dozen American states are also sending
representatives. | 
