U.S. Representative Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee (Credit: meeks.house.gov)

By Gary Raynaldo       DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

Representatives Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Jim McGovern (D-MA), Chairman of the Rules Committee are calling for ending the prohibition on U.S. financing of agricultural sales to Cuba. The democratic congressional members are fully supporting Amendment #84 to H.R. 8294, which funds the Treasury Department and its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), that would suspend enforcement of the prohibition on financing of agricultural sales to Cuba. The amendment has previously been included in numerous pieces of legislation, including the Cuba Agricultural Exports Act, which had dozens of Republican cosponsors. It is identical to a bipartisan amendment submitted to the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill in 2017.  Reps. Meeks and McGovern announced their support for Amendment #84 on Tuesday in a statement saying it would create thousands of farm jobs in America. 

“We strongly support this amendment to end the U.S. government’s prohibition on financing of agricultural sales to Cuba. This common-sense legislation, which has been supported from both sides of the aisle and by agriculture groups nationwide for well over a decade, would create thousands of farm jobs in the United States while providing desperately needed food at lower cost for the Cuban people. Today, Cuba faces its most devastating economic crisis in thirty years, forcing tens of thousands of Cuban people to spend hours in line waiting for food each and every day. In the past six months, we have seen a surge of Cubans fleeing to the U.S.-Mexico border. This amendment would help ease the economic burden by suspending U.S. farm export regulations and extending credit to Cuban food buyers for one year.“

-Congressional Reps  Meeks, McGovern statement

U.S. Farmers Want To See Agricultural Sales to CUBA

-Cuba Market of 11 Million People For U.S. Agriculture 

USA Rice has supported expanding trade and travel with Cuba.  (Credit:ers.usda.gov/getty)

The congressional members said farmers across the United States have urged action to permit greater sales from the U.S. for years and with “hunger rising across Cuba, the time is right to enact a temporary suspension that would provide them new opportunities to expand their exports to this market of 11 million people.”

-Cuba’s population is 11 million, similar to the State of Illinois which is the 6th largest state in the United States. 

-Over time, it could represent a $1.2 billion market for U.S. agricultural products. Before 1960, Cuba was the U.S.  ninth-largest export market

-Rice is a daily staple for Cubans. Per capita consumption of rice in Cuba is 15 lbs. per month, the highest in the western hemisphere. Cuba imports $250 million in rice or five hundred tons mostly from Vietnam and Brazil, and none from the United States. Cuba has favorable trade terms with Vietnam, however, quality is an issue and the 45 days it takes for shipment increases costs and decreases quality.

SOURCE:  U.S. AGRICULTURE COALITION FOR CUBA

USA Rice joined forces with the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba (USACC) in support of expanding trade and travel relations with Cuba in January 2021.  USA Rice and  members of the USACC participated in a virtual call with newly appointed Cuban Ambassador to the United States Lianys Torres Rivera.  Torres Rivera, who is Cuba’s first female Ambassador to the U.S.,  took up her duties in January 2021,  concurrent with the transition to the Biden Administration and was among the first groups of diplomats to present credentials for approval.   At that time, USA Rice signed onto a letter from USACC that was sent to the new administration in support of expanding trade and travel relations with Cuba.  

(credit: vietnamnet.vn)   Lianys Torres Rivera was named Cuba’s  Ambassador to the US in Washington DC   January 2021 when the new American President Joe Biden took office.  Ambassador Torres is the  first woman ever to head Cuba’s mission in Washington.  Prior to this, she was Cuba’s ambassador to Vietnam. 

“Cuba was once a robust market for U.S. rice exports and my grandfather was part of the generation of rice farmers lucky enough to see Cuba as a flourishing market for our crop,” said Mark Isbell, Arkansas rice farmer, USA Rice member, and longtime advocate for engagement with Cuba who represented the U.S. rice industry at the virtual meeting.  “While the economic benefits of rebuilding Cuba as a U.S. rice market would be great, reestablishing diplomatic ties and bringing U.S. resources to the Cuban people is also the right thing to do.  Considering the current political climate, now is the time to push for real, lasting changes.”