USA Rice Federation, more than 100 others push for ag trade with Cuba

USA Rice Federation, more than 100 others push for ag trade with Cuba
Monday
Posted Jan 16, 2017 at 3:38 PM

"With less than one week until the Trump administration takes the reins,
it's important that the agricultural community voices its support for
policies that will allow us to sell our crops and products in a free and
open market," Ben Mosely, vice president of government affairs for USA
Rice, said. "Trade with Cuba is not just a priority for U.S. rice but
the dozens of other organizations and businesses that represent nearly
every sector of our vital industry that signed-on in support of reduced
trade and financing barriers for agricultural commodities."

By Peter Bachmann / USA Rice Federation

USA Rice, along with more than 100 state and national
agriculture-related organizations and agribusinesses sent a letter to
President-elect Trump and his team asking his administration to
prioritize the removal of private financing and trade barriers for
agricultural commodities and equipment.

"With less than one week until the Trump administration takes the reins,
it's important that the agricultural community voices its support for
policies that will allow us to sell our crops and products in a free and
open market," Ben Mosely, vice president of government affairs for USA
Rice, said. "Trade with Cuba is not just a priority for U.S. rice but
the dozens of other organizations and businesses that represent nearly
every sector of our vital industry that signed-on in support of reduced
trade and financing barriers for agricultural commodities."

While the needed fixes fall under the jurisdiction of Congress, the
letter asks the administration to consider "progress made in normalizing
relations with Cuba, and also solicit the administration's support for
the agricultural business sector to expand trade with Cuba to help
American farmers and our associated industries.

The groups highlighted the fall of the U.S. as Cuba's go-to for food,
"The U.S. has fallen from its position as the number one supplier of
agricultural products from 2003 to 2012, to now the number five supplier
after the European Union, Brazil, Argentina and Vietnam. The U.S. needs
to be number one again. Especially given many of Cuba's imports,
including rice, poultry, dairy, soy, wheat and corn make up more than 70
percent of what they import and they're all grown right here in the U.S.
by hardworking American farmers," Mosely explained.

The letter was organized in part by USA Rice and the dozens of state
agriculture organizations and businesses that make up Engage Cuba's
state councils for Cuba.

Source: USA Rice Federation, more than 100 others push for ag trade with
Cuba -
http://www.stuttgartdailyleader.com/news/20170116/usa-rice-federation-more-than-100-others-push-for-ag-trade-with-cuba