Items Tagged with 'Cuba'

Cuba has struggled for decades to feed its people, but because of U.S. sanctions and the impacts of the COVID pandemic, the country is becoming more desperate to buy U.S. grain and meat.

Representatives of the U.S. poultry industry descended in Havana last week to implore the Cuban government to loosen bans on U.S. chicken after outbreaks of bird flu in major producing states.

Propelled by surges in sales to China, Mexico and Cuba, U.S. exports of chicken and eggs are at a record pace after the first six months of 2021, and a new analysis released Wednesday by the U.S. Poultry and Egg Export Council says trade is expected to continue strong through the rest of the year.

Public protests in communist Cuba are rare, so when people recently took to the streets to demonstrate in protest against the government, the world took notice and America’s ag sector is still weighing the implications for trade between the two countries.

The House Agriculture Committee will debate a $16 billion stimulus measure that includes a substantial down payment on Democrats’ promise to address racial justice issues. The committee’s draft bill, which will be part of a broader $1.9 trillion stimulus package, would provide sweeping debt relief to minority farmers on USDA loans.

Government farm payments are still likely to fall significantly this year, but the cliff won’t be quite as stiff as it once looked like it would be.

The Senate Agriculture Committee is expanding its membership with three new Democrats, who could give the committee a push to the left on some issues, including climate policy.

Cuba could be buying a lot more poultry, corn, dairy and other ag commodities produced in the U.S., but first the U.S. needs to reverse course and begin strengthening ties with the island nation. That is the message from some of the largest American farm groups to the incoming Biden administration.

The action may scare some potential investors away from doing new business with Cuban buyers, but it won’t have a direct impact on U.S. agricultural exports to the island nation.