Will the U.S. Ease Restrictions on Agricultural Exports to Cuba?
Q: U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) last month introduced legislation that would end U.S. restrictions on travel to Cuba and would also make it easier for agricultural producers to sell food to Cuba. How important is the measure to U.S. agricultural exporters? Is an agricultural bill likely to find a broader base of support in Congress than last year’s travel-focused initiative? How does the recent death of Cuban hunger striker Orlando Zapata affect the prospects for an opening of U.S. policy toward Cuba? A: Connie Mack (R-Fla.), member of the U.S. House of Representatives and ranking Republican on the House Western Hemisphere Subcommittee: “Orlando Zapata’s senseless death at the hands of the Castro regime reminds us that the Castro brothers are nothing more than ruthless dictators who seek power for the sake of power. Nothing has changed in Cuba. In fact, things have worsened: the Castros still hold an American contractor hostage in a Cuban prison as well as scores of Cuban politi
Related Questions
- Can representatives of U.S. agricultural cooperatives, trade associations, or state governments visit Cuba and perform market development activities?
- What do developing countries whose primary exports are agricultural products stand to gain from services liberalization?
- Do all the exports of agricultural commodities to be used by a proposed facility have to be from the U.S.?
