BERNIE, Mo. -- Gov. Jay Nixon today was joined by Missouri Department of Agriculture Director Richard Fordyce and regional agriculture industry leaders at the Martin Rice Warehouse in Stoddard County for a roundtable discussion on the economic benefits of increased trade to Cuba, especially for Missouri rice and cotton farmers.
"The more Missouri goods we sell around the globe, the more good jobs we create here at home," said Gov. Nixon. "Expanded trade with Cuba is a tremendous opportunity to extend the reach of our democratic values and ideals. Throughout the world, we have seen examples of how the free exchange of goods and ideas can advance freedom and democracy."
According to the USA Rice Federation, Cuba was the top export destination for U.S.-grown rice prior to the 1962 embargo. The United States resumed selling food to Cuba in 2000, with rice sales to Cuba totaling 635,000 metric tons between 2002 and 2006, according to the USA Rice Federation. However, U.S. rice sales to Cuba ceased in 2008 following a change in federal policy.
"The world wants what Missouri makes and grows," Gov. Nixon said. "With 11 million potential new customers just 90 miles from our shore, increased trade with Cuba is a tremendous opportunity for Missouri's farmers and ranchers, especially those here in southeast Missouri."
In his State of the State address in January, the Governor announced that he will be traveling to Havana from March 1-4 with members of the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba (USACC) to explore how to maximize the benefits of expanded trade to Cuba for Missouri producers. Gov. Nixon will be the first U.S. Governor to go on a trade mission to Cuba.
Groups represented on the visit include the Missouri Farm Bureau, the Missouri Rice Council, the Missouri Forest Products Association, Dairy Farmers of America, the U.S. Dairy Export Council, and the U.S. Rice Federation.
The U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba (USACC) is a coalition of more than 40 food and agriculture companies and organizations united around the opportunity presented by a more open U.S.-Cuba relationship and committed to ending the embargo and allowing open trade and investment to occur. Gov. Nixon and Director Fordyce were recently in Washington, D.C. for the public launch of the USACC.
Travel costs for the Governor will be covered by the Hawthorn Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting economic growth in Missouri; state taxpayer funds will not be used.
For many agricultural and export products, current U.S. financing restrictions require Cuban buyers of U.S. agricultural products to pay in cash, upfront and through a third-party bank in another country, putting American producers at a competitive disadvantage. If the United States lifted these government regulations and interacted with Cuba in a manner similar to free market trade agreements held with other nations -- including China, Vietnam and Russia -- it is estimated that total U.S. exports to Cuba could reach $4.3 billion annually.