LatinNews Daily - 25 February 2010

Cuba: On 23 February the US congressional agriculture committee's chairman, Collin C. Peterson (Minnesota) introduced legislation to expand US agriculture exports to Cuba. This bipartisan bill, known as the 'Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act' (H.R. 4645), is co-sponsored by 30 deputies, including representatives Jerry Moran (Kansas), Rosa L. DeLauro (Connecticut), and Jo Ann Emerson (Missouri). The bill would eliminate both the need to go through banks in other countries to conduct agricultural trades and the accompanying fees those banks charge. It would also require agricultural exports to Cuba to meet the same payment requirements as exports to other countries, which means payment would be required when the title of the shipment changes hands, not in advance. Finally, it would allow U.S. citizens to travel to Cuba, reducing the bureaucratic red tape currently required for individuals to travel to Cuba to facilitate new agriculture sales.