A Lexington-based trade consulting group is preparing for a business trip to Cuba in 2017.
World Trade Center Kentucky President and CEO Edwin Webb says they have made progress since their exploratory mission last October. Webb says Cuba imports 80% of its food, which he says is an advantage for Kentucky as a leader in agriculture. Webb says seven states in the U.S are already providing agriculture to Cuba under humanitarian guidelines.
“We were candidly caught off guard to discover that Kentucky wasn’t one of those seven states particularly with agriculture being a big play for the Commonwealth,” says Webb.
Webb says they are preparing for the next step - if and when the trade embargo is lifted. President Barack Obama has led efforts to warm relations with Cuba, however Congress maintains control of economic sanctions. He says the upcoming presidential election generates the question “When will the embargo be lifted?”
“A question mark there... We had hoped [President] Obama would have it lifted by the end of his term in office but I just don't see that happening right now," says Webb.
Webb says in their 2016 visit, Kentucky business leaders met with Cuban university professors and officials at the recently reopened U.S. embassy in Havana. Webb says once the embargo is lifted, Kentucky can export agricultural products and services like knowledge and skill sets.
“If it’s not done by the end of this year, you’ve gotta give other candidates whoever wins this election, at least a year before they’re going to be able to sit down and address the issue. So if not by the end of the Obama administration, the earliest would be 2017 and that is a dark throw.”
