Summit participants say 53-year-old Cuba trade ban hurtful
Summit participants say 53-year-old Cuba trade ban hurtful
By Don Davis on Feb 23, 2015 at 9:13 p.m.
ST. PAUL -- A "farmer" who plants seeds the same way for years and they do not grow, "you probably are not a farmer," Cargill Inc. Vice President Devry Boughner Vorwerk told a Monday summit on restoring relations with Cuba.
That was her description about how the United States has dealt with Cuba, with a 53-year-old trade embargo. She said the time has come for a change so both countries can progress.
"Cuba is a natural market for us," Vorwerk said, but regulations in both countries are making it tough to trade. "We can do it faster, cheaper, better and with higher quality," she said of sending American products to the island country 90 miles south of Florida.
The embargo has been "very hurtful" to Cubans, added Rodolfo Gutierrez of the Hispanic Advocacy and Community Empowerment through Research organization.
More:
http://www.grandforksherald.com/news/agriculture/3685650-summit-participants-say-53-year-old-cuba-trade-ban-hurtful
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Minnesota has stake in Cuba trade debate
Don Davis • February 21, 2015
American politicians placed a trade embargo on Cuba 53 years ago this month and only politicians can remove it, something being considered in Washington.
The process of normalizing relations with Cuba began on Dec. 17 when President Barack Obama took unilateral steps in that direction. Only Congress has power to lift the trade ban and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., is lead sponsor on a bill to do just that.
Her Freedom to Export to Cuba Act would repeal trade restrictions and a related bill she co-sponsors would allow Americans and Cubans to freely travel between their countries.
The bills face plenty of opposition, but the Minnesota Democrat said that she will attempt to shift the focus away from politics and toward business and agriculture, which she said, could attract needed Republican votes.
More:
http://progresoweekly.us/minnesota-stake-cuba-trade-debate/
