U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) and Cheri Bustos (D-IL) recently returned from a trip to Havana, Cuba, where they worked on the Illinois-Cuba Working Groups Bipartisan Agricultural Trade Mission.
The purpose of the summit was to establish new trade partnerships and economic opportunities for Illinois farmers. To that end, Davis, Bustos, and other Illinois agricultural and business leaders met with various Cuban officials to discuss how to increase exports to the island nation and how to strengthen bilateral trade relations.
“While Illinois farmers and our economy have a lot to gain from normalizing trade relations between the U.S. and Cuba, it’s clear from this trip that there are still steps the Cuban government must take before our countries can fully benefit from increased trade opportunities,” Davis said. “I look forward to working on a bipartisan basis to encourage economic reforms in Cuba, such as moving to a single currency and expanding private enterprise, which will ensure Illinois and the Cuban people benefit from increased trade.”
During the mission, the team met with several Cuban organizations and officials, including the Cuban National Association of Small Farmers; the Rev. Ofelia Ortega, a member of the Cuban National Assembly; Gustavo Machn Gmez, deputy director general of the U.S. Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Marcelino Medina Gonzlez, deputy minister for foreign affairs; Llena Nez Mordeche, deputy minister of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment; and Jeffrey DeLaurentis, the U.S. ambassador to Cuba.
The delegation also participated in tours of a Cuban farm cooperative and Port Mariel, the Cuban port with the closest proximity to the U.S.
“Our bipartisan agricultural trade mission gave me valuable firsthand insight into how the Cuban economy operates and what it will take to ramp up Illinois’ agricultural exports,” Bustos said. “While we have made real progress in the last year toward improving bilateral trade relations with Cuba, we still have a lot of work to do to cut through the red tape that holds back our family farmers’ ability to export. Improving our trade relations presents opportunities for both nations, and I’m committed to continuing the dialogue and fostering the relationships to ensure that Illinois’ agricultural community is well-positioned to benefit from normalizing trade.”