Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 6/8/18

If Trump wants to open new markets for U.S. growers, he should look no further than Cuba. That's what four Republican lawmakers said Thursday, arguing that with growing uncertainty surrounding trade, there's no time like the present for Congress and the Trump administration to deliver on a new destination for U.S. farm goods.

Several lawmakers spoke at a roundtable hosted by international law firm McDermott Will & Emery and lobbying coalition Engage Cuba. The lawmakers — Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Reps. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) — emphasized that Cuba poses a $2 billion agricultural trade opportunity for farmers.

"Cuba is open for business, and this is while agriculture is going through some tough times back at home," Marshall told MA. "With all of Trump's trade and tariff issues, my ag producers are being hurt. Meanwhile, Cuba represents a market opportunity."

U.S. farmers are already very aware of the opportunities for American agricultural goods, Marshall said, adding that Cuba is ripe for imports of U.S. beef, sorghum and wheat. For example, he said, Kansas growers often note that they could sell wheat with higher protein content and ship it for much cheaper than France, a major supplier to Cuba.

Don't get too excited just yet: Marshall cautioned that "there's not much oxygen in the conference right now" with talks on the Hill centered around issues like immigration and the farm bill. But Marshall said that, regardless, he and the other lawmakers will continue to press for Congress to ease up on financing restrictions for Cubans, who currently can only buy U.S. agricultural products with cash. Changing financing restrictions "is low-hanging fruit that this country could easily fix," he said.