Cuba working on U.S. spud deal

Cuba working on U.S. spud deal

	Published : Thu, 24 May 2007 21:28 By : Agencies Print this Story

HAVANA (AP) - Cuba will dispatch experts to the fields of North Dakota this summer as it closes in on the first agreement to import American seed potatoes, officials said Thursday.

Two Cuban agricultural inspectors plan to inspect the state's varieties and watch how seed potatoes are packed for shipping. If all goes well, Cuba is prepared to buy about 100 tons of seed potatoes to plant in its fields and see how they fare.

Pedro Alvarez, head of communist Cuba's food import company Alimport, said the island already imports as much as 40,000 tons of seed potatoes annually from Canada and Holland, but that 'of course we'd like to diversify our suppliers and varieties.'

He said Cuba plans to test the North Dakota seed potatoes in its soil before buying larger quantities. Officials hope to have the state's potatoes planted in Cuba when growing season starts in November.

Roger Johnson, North Dakota's agricultural commissioner, led an 18-member, three-day trade mission to Havana. He noted seed potatoes are more expensive than table potatoes and highly perishable -- making the prospect of sending them all the way to this Caribbean country tricky.

'We want to start small because the risk is enormous,' he said.

Washington's 45-year-old embargo forbids American tourists from visiting Cuba, and chokes off most trade between the two countries, though the direct sale of food and agricultural products began in late 2001. Alvarez said Cuba has since spent more than $2.2 billion on American food and agricultural imports, including shipping and hefty bank fees to send payments through third nations.

Johnson, making his sixth trip to Cuba, said North Dakota has sold more than $30 million worth of products to the island since 2001, mostly peas, and garbanzo and lentil beans. During this trip, Cuba agreed to buy 10,000 tons of North Dakota red spring wheat and is negotiating the purchase of soybeans, corn and other crops.

Cuba also is interested in a similar inspection and testing process for North Dakota barely malt, another American product that would be the first of its kind imported to Cuba.

'We are sure it will be very good,' Alvarez joked, 'because American beer is very good.'