LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) – Cuba is having issues with food shortages, and Southwest Louisiana farmers need to sell their rice. That’s why several Louisiana lawmakers visited Cuba with the state’s agricultural commissioner on a trade mission to cultivate more business for our state’s rice farmers.
The group visited a center in Cuba that receives rice from Louisiana in bulk and packages it for distribution to the Cuban people.
State Sen. Mark Abraham said this dynamic creates much more economic opportunity in Louisiana.
“Can we sell them corn, feed corn? Can we sell them vegetable oil? Can we sell them rice? We can. Now we’re going to get all those products and load them on a ship and have a ship full of products. Then, we can use the Port of Lake Charles,” Abraham said.
The United States has a trade embargo with Cuba due to its authoritarian government. Abraham says business-to-business sales are needed, and the arrangement helps Cuba and Louisiana farmers.
“They consume about 700,000 metric tons of rice. They produce about 150,000 metric tons of rice, so there’s a 500,000-ton gap. 500,000 tons a year,” Abraham said.
Abraham also said in the future, there may be opportunities for other products.
“It could be water, it could be corn for human consumption, and maybe we could get that at our surrounding states and bring it here,” Abraham said.
Abraham said they are expanding the distribution center in Cuba for what is going to be a big boom for Louisiana. He also said Cuba could consume one-third of the rice that comes out of Louisiana.
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