Emerson to travel to Cuba to talk agriculture

Published Friday, December 15, 2006

Emerson to travel to Cuba to talk agriculture

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson will travel to Cuba today to discuss how to
expand U.S. agricultural exports to the country, her office announced
Thursday 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.

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