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Rance Daniels (l) makes contacts on USACC trip to Cuba
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HAVANA, CUBA -- Missouri rice farmer Rance Daniels and Riceland Foods Senior Vice President of Marketing and Risk Management Terry Harris represented the U.S. rice industry on a trip with more than 90 people involved in agriculture and education visiting Cuba this week. The group, traveling as the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba (USACC), included two former U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture, Mike Espy and John Block, and the First Lady of Missouri Georgeanne Nixon.
The group met on Monday morning with the Minister of Foreign Investment, Mr. José Luis Padrone, Director of International Relations for the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Juan José León Vega, and in the afternoon with Rafael Rivacoba, Director of International Relations for the state sugar enterprise, and Leonardo Chairing, Director of International Relations for the National Association of Small Farmers.
All the Cuban officials discussed opportunities in the market for imports of a wide variety of ag products including inputs and equipment. They also discussed in depth the problems created by the U.S. embargo and the roadblock it created that prevented consistent business and a closer ongoing relationship between industries in the nations.
That evening the group attended a reception at the residence of the top U.S. diplomat in Cuba, hosted by the Missouri First Lady.
Tuesday the delegation split into six groups to visit various segments of the ag industry including sugar production; aquaculture; cattle production; fruits, grains, and vegetables; tobacco and sorghum; and rice.
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Terry Harris (l) on tour with Cuban farm co-op officials
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Daniels and Harris went on the rice tour, meeting with the board of directors of a farm cooperative that farmed more than 7,000 acres of rice. They also toured two rice mills and a rice drying and storage facility. There was a detailed discussion between the Cuban and U.S. farmers about farm practices, pricing, problems, and opportunities
"I found it very interesting in talking with the Cuban farmers the practices we have in common, but also how different some of them are," Daniels reflected. "They were definitely intrigued with the size of our planting and harvesting equipment. I also feel renewed trade with Cuba is a great opportunity for us to expand our rice export markets, but it will also be a way for us to share some of our technology with the Cuban farmers to help improve their productivity."
The meeting ended on Wednesday morning after a meeting with the president of Alimport, the state agency that imports almost all foodstuffs into the country, a follow up discussion with the Cuban officials who had previously met with the group, and capped by comments by both the former Secretaries of Agriculture.
"I felt the trip was very beneficial from both the U.S. and Cuban perspectives," said Harris. "It allowed a good exchange of information, ideas, and goals that could benefit both nations and create opportunities for bilateral trade. As expressed by both Secretary Block and Secretary Espy, Cuba holds incredible potential for increased commerce in goods and technology, but the embargo remains a stumbling block that we must remove to make this opportunity a reality."
Contact: Michael Klein (703) 236-1458
