|
Yahoo! Tue
Oct 1, 1:12 Am Et. By Dale Wetzel, Associated Press Writer
BISMARCK, N.D. - A Cuban food trade show ended profitably for a group of
North Dakota participants, who struck last-minute deals to sell dry beans,
edible soybeans, pasta and flour, Lt. Gov. Jack Dalrymple said.
Shortly after the agreements were signed late Monday, the group hurriedly
left Havana to stay ahead of Hurricane Lili, which was bearing down on the
western half of Cuba.
Dalrymple, who is also chairman of Dakota Growers Pasta Co., said Dakota
Growers and a group of seed businesses signed agreements with Cuban government
officials to sell what he described as relatively small amounts of goods.
Dakota Growers, based in Carrington, sold about 45,000 pounds of
vegetable-blended pasta, including spaghetti and fettucine, for Havana
restaurants, Dalrymple said.
Unity Seed Co. of Casselton, Peterson Farms Seed Inc. of Harwood and
Earthwise Processors LLC of Moorhead, Minn., agreed to sell soybeans to use in
producing soy yogurt, tofu and other foods for human consumption, Dalrymple said
in a telephone interview from Havana. In the United States, soybeans are more
commonly grown for livestock feed.
North Dakota's state Mill and Elevator is selling a quantity of flour, and
the Northarvest Bean Growers Association struck a deal to sell black and dark
red dry edible beans, Dalrymple said.
Dalrymple described the deals as small, introductory transactions, which are
likely to be followed by larger sales.
"What's really important is, this shipment will give us all an
opportunity to ship more in the future," he said.
The trade show represented the first significant opportunity in 40 years for
American businesses to sell food to Cuba. The communist nation has been under a
U.S. trade embargo since the early 1960s. Congress agreed to relax the
restrictions two years ago, to allow sales of food and medical supplies.
Last week, North Dakota pea producers signed the trade show's first
agreement with a North Dakota company. They agreed to sell at least 5,300 metric
tons of green and yellow peas to Cuba, a deal worth more than $920,000. | 
