U.S. representatives highlighted their mutual interest in strengthening exchanges, especially in the agricultural sector, during a new edition of the Cuba-U.S. Agricultural Conference in Havana on Monday.
According to Paul Johnson, president of the Agricultural Coalition between the two nations, bilateral cooperation shows concrete potential in strategic sectors such as agriculture, scientific research, and trade.
He emphasized that despite existing obstacles, recent import growth—17 percent compared to the previous year—and product diversification, including rice, poultry, and other foods, has been driven by new measures adopted in the Caribbean country.
He also mentioned progress in academic and technical agreements, such as memoranda of understanding between universities and productive entities in both countries.
Johnson acknowledged that structural barriers persist, including financial limitations stemming from Cuba's inclusion on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.
He also expressed his hope that the technical and trade dialogue will continue to advance for the benefit of producers and consumers in both nations.
For his part, Andrés Schade, one of the U.S. officials involved in bilateral cooperation, emphasized that his delegation's goal on the island is to continue strengthening collaboration.
He recalled that a trilateral agreement was signed in 2024 between the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture.
"So the goal of our trip is to continue this collaboration established in last year's memorandum," he emphasized, stressing the importance of sharing productive experiences.
"I think it's essential for us, and especially for our researchers, that they come here and learn about existing production practices, as well as the opportunities to improve them and the varieties being developed in Cuba," he argued.
Meanwhile, fifth-generation farmer P. J. Haynie commented that he is excited to participate in the meeting "because we want to ensure that the Cuban people have high-quality rice to consume."
The CEO of Haynie Family Foods, a company dedicated to growing corn, soybeans, rice, and wheat, expressed his hopes of sharing techniques with Cuban farmers to grow rice more sustainably and achieve higher yields.
“Agriculture feeds seven billion people every day, and that number is projected to reach nine billion by 2050,” he said.
Therefore, Haynie stated: “Regardless of the administration or political changes, we all have to eat and we want to make sure we consume the best quality products possible.”
With information from Prensa Latina
