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- Kansas Wheat Farmer, Ag Leaders Share Desire to Open Up Trade with Cuba
“Over the years, I have been able to visit domestic customers as well as international customers. I have been to a lot of countries, including Cuba,” said Suppes. “The take-home from all these conversations is that ‘people are people.’ The number one concern is family; then comes religion, and then food and shelter. Politics are not usually toward the top of the list.”
Cuba, which does not grow wheat commercially, is the largest wheat market in the Caribbean, purchasing most of its wheat from the European Union and Canada. This is in sharp contrast to many other markets in the Caribbean region, where U.S. wheat farmers enjoy a much larger market share. It has been estimated that American farmers could obtain up to 80% of the market share under normalized trade.
The USACC seeks to advance trade relations between the U.S. and Cuba by re-establishing Cuba as a market for U.S. food and agriculture exports. The USACC believes that normalizing trade relations between the U.S. and Cuba will provide the U.S. farm and business community with new market access opportunities, drive enhanced growth in both countries and allow U.S. farmers, ranchers and food companies to efficiently address Cuban citizen’s food security needs. Under current sanctions, U.S. food and agriculture companies can legally export to Cuba, but financing and trade restrictions limit their ability to serve the market competitively. The USACC ultimately seeks to end the embargo and allow for open trade and investment. To learn more about the USACC, please visit www.usagcoalition.com.