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CUBA: U.S. TRADE FAIR IN HAVANA MAKES DENT IN EMBARGO WITH SALES CONTRACTS WORTH U.S.$90 MILLION.

Article Excerpt
US firms such as Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) and Cargill signed sales contracts for US$90 million during the five-day Food and Agribusiness Exhibition held at Havana's Pabexpo center Sept. 26-30. Another US$13 million in sales was pending at the close of the fair. In sales, the event was a milestone in Cuba-US commercial relations and was considered something of a setback for the hard-line policy of President George W. Bush's administration, which approved the transactions but worked hard to undermine them.

The trade fair was made possible by legislation passed in October 2000 permitting the sale of food and medicine to Cuba, though on a cash-only basis. Because of the restrictions, farm associations predicted sales would amount to no more than US$50 million (see NotiCen, 2000-11-16). But sales have greatly exceeded expectations. Cuban trade authorities say that, before the trade show, Cuba bought US$140 million worth of food--or 16% of planned food imports for 2002.

Exhibitors and Cuban trade officials agreed that the fair was more successful than expected and sales were double the estimates. Thirty-three states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico sent some 800 representatives. Participants included exhibitors from 288 firms as well as state agriculture and port officials. The largest contingent was from Florida, which sent representatives from 30 companies. Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura and officials from three other states also participated.

This was not the first US commercial fair in Cuba since trade restrictions were begun in October 1960. In January 2000, 97 US medical-products firms participated in the United States Health Care Exhibition at Pabexpo. The exhibition did little to increase Cuban purchases of medical supplies and equipment, in part because of US export restrictions, one of...

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