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South Dakota, Cuba have
working relationship
Aberdeen
American News,
SD, December 18, 2004.
Editor's note: Readers with questions
of the what's-going-on-in-northeastern-South-Dakota
variety called the American News Line recently.
Those questions - which may have been edited
- and the answers appear below.
Q. What is the status of South Dakota's
relations with Cuba? I know our state leaders
have been trying to work out a trade deal
with the Cubans.
A. According to a recent story on Stateline.org,
South Dakota is one of several states that
have signed deals with Cuba.
A South Dakota delegation to the island
nation agreed to sell 5,000 metric tons
of peas in October.
The U.S. government has tightened limits
on travel and currency transfers involving
Cuba, but sales that South Dakota and other
states have agreed to are within legal limits.
Cash-only contracts for sales of agriculture
and health-related goods are among the only
deals possible under the narrow confines
of U.S. restrictions.
Here are some other Cuba-U.S. trade items
from Stateline.org:
o State officials from Alabama, Louisiana
and Maine visited a Cuban cigar factory
and toured a rum museum this week while
encouraging President Fidel Castro's communist
regime to buy more U.S. agricultural products.
o Vermont contracted in August to send
$6 million in powdered milk to Cuba.
o Montana agreed in September 2003 to sell
$10 million in farm products to Cuba such
as wheat, dry beans and peas.
o Iowa is among the top exporters of corn
and soybeans to Cuba.
o Maine, California and Texas have passed
resolutions encouraging trade with Cuba,
and more than half the states are making
sales there.
o Among the top U.S. exporters to Cuba
are North Dakota and Illinois, though Arkansas,
California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Pennsylvania and Texas are
also very active, according to federal trade
data.
o Idaho, Montana, South Carolina and Kansas
are among states that have signed ag deals
with Cuba.
If you have a question for News Line, give
us a call at (605) 226-1600, ext. 403. Or
e-mail us at americannews@aberdeennews.com.
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