[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”0″ padding_right=”0″ hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”underline solid” sep_color=”#000000″ margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]House members not sold on the idea of increased agricultural trade with Cuba[/title][fusion_text]Thursday, September 10th 2015
Some House members aren’t sold on the idea of increased agricultural trade with Cuba, saying it wouldn’t do anything to relieve human rights abuses in the communist country. At a Wednesday hearing of the House Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade, there wasn’t much disagreement that there is potential in the Cuban market, but some lawmakers expressed skepticism about benefits beyond a boost in exports. Among them was Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., who is not a member of the subcommittee. Ros-Lehtinen, the first Cuban-American elected to Congress, said the U.S. should be leery of current agricultural export figures and look at a potentially bigger political picture. Congress has allowed sales of certain agricultural and medical products to Cuba since 2000. Farm sales reached almost $700 million in 2008, but in 2014 totaled just $286 million, mostly poultry meat, soy products and corn and feed. Skepticism over the intentions of the Castro regime is not new, but it has the potential to derail the Obama administration’s plan to lift sanctions against the Caribbean country. Agricultural organizations have been pushing for increased trade with Cuba since December, when President Obama announced his intentions to lift the 50-year-old trade embargo established by President John F. Kennedy.
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