US farm groups disagree with Trump's policy on trade with Cuba
“We sell mostly soybeans these days,” said Adam Nielsen, director of national legislation and policy development for the Illinois Farm Bureau. “There is great potential there, and this (Trump administration policy) doesn’t help.”
Farm groups have generally supported Trump administration moves to roll back federal regulations, but the Trump administration policies on trade have had less-favorable reviews.
“We’ve seen ag exports to Cuba slow to a trickle in the last seven years. Obama normalized relationships. This is a bit of a step backward,” said Nielsen, who has twice been to Cuba as part of agricultural trade delegations.
Exports of U.S. products to Cuba totaled $180 million in 2015, according to the U.S. Trade Representative office, down 40 percent from 2014 and 51 percent from 2005.
Allowing Cuba to make purchases on credit also would be a big step toward opening the country to U.S. exports, according to farm organizations.
source: sj-r.com
