Hello, I'm Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples. On May 27th, I will become the first statewide elected official from Texas to visit Cuba on official state business in more than 45 years. I will be leading a delegation of 24 Texans, including farmers, ranchers, commodity suppliers and port representatives.
I will be blogging from Cuba about my visit so that you can stay updated on our progress.
This is a great opportunity to build long-lasting trade relationships with Cuba. We want Texas producers to have access to this growing market and for Cubans to have the chance to enjoy the best agricultural products the world offers: Texas food and fiber.
Our delegation will be in Cuba from May 27 - 31 and will meet with Cuban government officials who procure agricultural products. The group will also visit three Cuban farms to identify food needs not met by domestic production.
The mission is to expand Texas export opportunities to Cuba. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Texas has exported well over $100 million in agricultural products to Cuba since 2000 when Congress partially lifted the trade embargo against the island nation. Both countries would like to see that increase dramatically.
It is only 900 miles between Houston and Havana but for several decades it might well have been a million miles. This is a great occasion for two nations to work together to improve relations and what better way to do that than through food.
Since 1961, when President John F. Kennedy imposed a trade embargo on the Caribbean country, U.S. and Cuba trade has been non-existent until recently. In October 2000, Congress passed the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act, allowing the sale of agricultural and medical products to Cuba.
No comments:
Post a Comment