Agricultural Delegation from Louisiana, USA, Travels to Cuba

Commissioner for Agriculture in Louisiana Mike Strain heads a commercial delegation that traveled today to Cuba to negotiate a potential export of food to this country.

The Cuban Embassy in the United States posted on its social networks the visit of Strain along with 94 representatives from the agricultural field, seeking to achieve a business trade with Cuba, valued at $400 million USD.

Strain said that it is important to land and be in Cuba because a very competitive scenario is coming.

He praised the quality of the rice grown in Louisiana and highlighted the favorable proximity of that region for the Cuban market, although he did not mentioned the economic, financial and commercial blockade set by the United States since 1962 and recently strengthened.

(Prensa Latina)

Museums of Cuba and the U.S. Sign Cooperation Agreement

Scientists from Cuba’s National Museum of Natural History (MNHNC) and the American Museum of Natural History of New York, signed a cooperation agreement in Havana.

Esther Perez, director of the Cuban institution, and Ana Luz Porcekanski, head of the Biodiversity Center of the US museum, signed the document at the headquarters of MNHNC, located in the historic area of Old Havana, declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1982.

The agreement expresses the decision to contribute to the knowledge of the composition and characterization of the Cuban flora and fauna, as well as clarify the taxonomic status of invertebrates, vertebrates, and microorganisms of the Caribbean biota, informed Regla Balmori, a specialist of the local gallery.

Read more:

http://www.cubanews.acn.cu/culture/5426-museums-of-cuba-and-the-u-s-sign-cooperation-agreement

US House of Representatives Strengthens Blockade Against Cuba

The House of Representatives approved new restrictive measures against Cuba, a clear evidence that the economic, commercial and financial blockade of the US against the island remains in effect.

A set of measures were included in the draft budget for financial services, which was approved in the lower house of Congress.

The measures include bans to certain travels to Cuba, such as educational exchanges, as well as bans on importing goods confiscated by the Cuban government. Other measures prevent financial transactions involving Cuban military personnel.

The measures also prohibit the use of funds to approve the licensing of trademarks or trade names which were confiscated by the Cuban government without the express consent of the United States.

The anti-Cuban provisions remained in the bill, after two other amendments which were proposed by Congressmen Rick Crawford and Mark Sanford and that favored the elimination of restrictions on economic and social exchanges with Cuba were eliminated.

The anti-Cuban lobby group in the House of Representatives, composed of legislators Mario Diaz-Balart, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Carlos Curbelo, maintain an intense activity to prevent the approval of measures that seek to alleviate the blockade imposed by Washington on Cuba in 1962.

According to experts on the topic, US President Barack Obama will veto this bill.

(Prensa Latina)

Cuba, Mexico and U.S. discuss maritime boundaries in the Gulf of Mexico

Representatives of Cuba, Mexico and the United States met in Mexico City July 5-7 to discuss maritime boundaries in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, also known as the Eastern Gap.

According to the Cuban Foreign Ministry, this was the first technical meeting to achieve the delimiting of maritime boundaries.

In May 2009, Cuba made its presentation on the issue before the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf on the natural expansion of the island´s area on the continental shelf more than 200 nautical miles from its shores in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

The technical meeting was attended by the director of International Law at Cuba´s Foreign Ministry, Manuel Pirez; the Legal Advisor of Mexico´s Foreign Ministry, Alejandro Alday, and by the Legal Advisor of the US Department of State, Oliver Lewis.

The meeting was reportedly held in a respectful and professional environment as the three sides agreed to keep with those meetings on the important issue.

(Cuban News Agency)

Mayors conference adopts resolution on ending embargo

The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) has adopted a resolution calling on Congress to end the embargo against Cuba, citing their leaders’ recent trip to Cuba, organized by the Center for Democracy in the Americas (CDA), in the case that the organization made for endorsing its official pro-normalization policy.

The action came during the recently concluded 84th annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors which took place in Indianapolis, Indiana.

CDA executive director Sarah Stephens worked with Tom Cochran, CEO and executive director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, in organizing a fact-finding delegation to Cuba for USCM officers from May 25-29. While mayors and municipal officials frequently visit the island, this was the first official visit by the U.S. Conference of Mayors since 1978.

Read more:

http://progresoweekly.us/mayors-conference-adopts-resolution-ending-embargo/

Cuban and U.S. officials discuss counterterrorism

A technical meeting between Cuban and U.S. officials responsible for counterterrorism efforts, with the aim of discussing opportunities for cooperation in this area, took place on Wednesday, June 8, in Havana.

The Cuban delegation included representatives from the Ministries of the Interior and Foreign Affairs, the Attorney General’s Office and General Customs of the Republic. Representing the U.S. were officials from the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice, and the U.S. Embassy in Havana.

The two delegations agreed on the importance of advancing cooperation in the sphere and agreed to continue to hold technical meetings on the issue in the future.
The encounter took place in a respectful and professional climate.

(Granma)

The United States’ interest in the Cuban market

Cuba is not China; that, we all know. What’s to explain, then, the unusual interest of U.S. companies in the Cuban market?

A U.S. producer of grain gave me an answer years ago: “It’s the only country in the world that delivers the daily bread to 11 million people.” Nevertheless, as true as this assertion is, it’s insufficient to explain what goes on. The matter is a lot more complex.

In a world where the development of commerce depended in good measure on the military domination of territories, the United States — during the first century of its existence — tried to expand within its own land borders. Attempting it beyond the seas was barred to the U.S. by the scant development of its naval force.

Read more:

http://progresoweekly.us/united-states-interest-cuban-market/

Cuban Minister of Agriculture finishes his visit to the United States

The Cuban delegation headed by Gustavo Rodriguez Rollero, Minister of Agriculture, finished today a visit to the United States, invited by the US Department of Agriculture.

During his stay in Washington and Iowa, the Cuban Minister met his counterpart Thomas Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture; Michael Scuse, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and Penny Pritzker, Secretary of Commerce. The Minister also visited places of interest related to agricultural production and research, including Iowa State University, where he had exchanges with farmers and experts.

Likewise, the Cuban delegation met entrepreneurs and representatives from organizations that favor both, the commercial links and the lifting of the blockade such as the US Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba and Engage Cuba.

With the purpose to strengthen the bonds in this sector, the highest authorities in Agriculture from both countries agreed to continue negotiations for the signature of specific instruments on cooperation in animal health and plant health matters, with the view to implement the objectives identified in the Memorandum of Understanding on Agriculture Cooperation and other Related Areas, signed on March 21st, 2016 in Havana, on the occasion of President Obama’s visit.

Both parties agreed on the importance to broaden the cooperation by exchanging experiences and doing joint research between Cuba and US institutions, to be taken to practical terms for the agricultural development.

 (CubaMinrex)

Cuban agriculture minister visits Chamber of Commerce of USA

The Chamber of Commerce of United States was the host today of a meeting on the current panorama of the agricultural sector in Cuba, and had the participation of the Cuban Minister in the field, Gustavo Rodríguez.

Cuban Minister Rodríguez explained the plans of the Cuban authorities guided to stimulate the agricultural development of the island, and had a meeting with Carlos Gutiérrez, president of the United States -Cuba Business Council (USCBC).

The Minister of Agriculture in the Caribbean island has foreseen to meet US Agriculture Vice Minister Michael Scuse.

Read more:

http://www.cubasi.com/nows-exclusive-recommended/item/8023-cuban-agriculture-minister-visits-chamber-of-commerce-of-usa

Missouri Governor Opens Business Forum in Cuba

Missouri Governor Jeremiah W. Nixon underlined today the opportunities for trade exchanges between US and Cuban companies, particularly in agriculture.

At the opening ceremony of a business forum, Nixon highlighted the importance of developing ties between Cuba and the United States for the welfare of present and future generations of both countries.

Nixon said that this event aimed at determining the real prospects of trade ties between Cuba and Missouri businessmen.

According to Nixon, Missouri could offer quality products such as rice, soybeans, beef, dairy, cotton, bio-fertilizers and animal feeds, whose transportation would benefit from geographical proximity and existing infrastructure for maritime transportation.

Read more:

http://www.plenglish.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4925541&Itemid=1