Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced recently that USDA will officially be sending temporary personnel to the U.S. Embassy in Havana starting in August to work on issues to help expand trade opportunities for U.S. agriculture. This position, part of USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, will be a three-month assignment while USDA works out the details to make the position permanent.
The Senate’s fiscal year 2017 agricultural appropriations bill contains $1.5 million for USDA staff to be placed in Cuba. Cuba currently imports $1.8 billion in agricultural products.
