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Emerson going to Cuba for
agriculture export discussions
U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson will travel to Cuba tomorrow to discuss
how to expand U.S. agricultural exports to the country, announced this morning.
Emerson, whose district includes Wright, Douglas, Ozark counties and part
of Taney County will be in Cuba through Sunday. Cuba was in the top 25
among U.S. export markets for agriculture before government restrictions last
year, her office said.
Not only is Cuba a significant market for U.S. produce, it is a major buyer of
agriculture from southern Missouri. Agriculture is a rare bright spot in the
dire survey of the burgeoning U.S. trade deficit, Emerson said in a written
statement.
The policy of making these export transactions difficult for American farmers by
the U.S. government is a wrongheaded idea that punishes U.S. farmers, but not
the Cuban government. This conversation is essential to protecting a valuable
American export market,? the statement said.