United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue (2017-2021), a former governor of the state of Georgia (2003-2011) who visited the Republic of Cuba in 2010, reported to a president of the same party (R) and remained unable to neither lessen restrictions upon the export of agricultural commodities and food products from the United States to the Republic of Cuba nor encourage United States organizations to use in the Republic of Cuba approved funding for MAP and FMD programs.

LINK: Former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue At Confirmation Hearing Supports Exports To Cuba

Might the same result await The Honorable Thomas Vilsack (D) who is expected to be nominated in January 2021 to be United States Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) by President-elect Joseph Biden (D). Then USDA Secretary Vilsack (2009-2017) visited the Republic of Cuba in 2015 and 2016. He did not visit the Republic of Cuba when serving as Governor of Iowa (1999-2007).

During 2015 and 2016 the following individuals, among others from the USDA visited the Republic of Cuba: Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations, United States Department of Agriculture; Deputy Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services, United States Department of Agriculture; Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations, United States Department of Agriculture; Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), United States Department of Agriculture; Director, Western Hemisphere, Foreign Agricultural Service, United States Department of Agriculture; Research Economist, Pacific Southwest Research Station, United States Department of Agriculture; Program Manager, Mexico and Central America, United States Department of Agriculture.

LINK: USDA Received Zero MAP/FMD Program Applications For Cuba in 2019 Or 2020; Will Any Group Request For FY2021? (21 May 2020)

“According the USDA, no request was made in Fiscal Years 2019 or 2020 to use the Republic of Cuba provision in H.R. 2, the five-year Agriculture Improvement Act, known as the “Farm Bill” signed into law on 20 December 2018 by The Honorable Donald J. Trump, President of the United States. No requests in the more than 517 days since the Republic of Cuba became eligible for funding. In 2018, advocates maintained that the Farm Bill provision was critical to “laying the groundwork” for increasing exports of agricultural commodities and food products to the Republic of Cuba. Statements from members of Congress included: “… an important first step to regaining our presence in Cuba.” Yet, there was not one request to the USDA for Fiscal Year 2019.”

US Agricultural Commodity & Food Product Exports To Cuba

Exports of food products and agricultural commodities from the United States to the Republic of Cuba in October 2020 were US$11,607,415.00 compared to US$3,704,369.00 in October 2019 and US$9,698,149.00 in October 2018. Agricultural commodity and food product exports from the United States to the Republic of Cuba thus far reported in 2020 are US$137,869,727.00 compared to US$250,322,838.00 in 2019, representing a decrease of 44.9%. Since December 2001, agricultural commodity and food product exports reported from the United States to the Republic of Cuba is US$6,270,742,423.00.

Certain exports from the United States to the Republic of Cuba are authorized by the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act (TSREEA) of 2000, Cuban Democracy Act (CDA) of 1992, and regulations implemented (1992 to present) for other products by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the United States Department of the Treasury and Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the United States Department of Commerce. The TSREEA re-authorized the direct commercial (on a cash basis) export of food products (including branded food products) and agricultural commodities from the United States to the Republic of Cuba, irrespective of purpose. The TSREEA does not include healthcare products, which remain authorized and regulated by the CDA.

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