Senators Roll Out Bill To Expand US Agricultural Exports To Cuba

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th May, 2019) US Senators John Boozman and Michael Bennet reintroduced legislation that would lift restrictions on private financing for American farmers and ranchers who want to export their goods to Cuba.

"Cuba imports 80 percent of its food, but Americans start out at a disadvantage since private financing is not allowed," Boozman said in a joint press release on Tuesday. "Our bill removes this barrier, allowing our agricultural producers to compete, while simultaneously exposing Cubans to American ideals, values and products."

The lawmakers explained that the major hurdle for US farmers to selling goods to Cuba is the Trade Sanctions and Reform Act (TSRA), which contains a provision prohibiting private credit for US exporters seeking access to the Cuban market.

In June 2017, US President Donald Trump reversed the policy of his predecessor Barack Obama and abandoned attempts to normalize relations with Havana. Since that, Trump set new limits for US citizens traveling to Cuba, and banned payments to a military-linked organization that controls the island's tourist industry.

In February, US senators reintroduced major legislation to lift the US trade embargo imposed on Cuba in 1958.