Heitkamp Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Support U.S. Agricultural Exports to Cuba

Press Release

U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today introduced a bipartisan bill to help support and expand the export of agricultural commodities to Cuba from North Dakota and states across the country.

For more than a year, Heitkamp has pushed to improve agricultural export opportunities to Cuba and make it easier for farmers to sell their crops -- particularly pulse crops grown in North Dakota -- to this high-demand market. Last February, Heitkamp visited Cuba and met with Cuban agricultural trade officials to discuss the bilateral economic benefits of expanding agricultural exports from North Dakota to Cuba. And yesterday, during a Senate Committee on Agriculture hearing, Heitkamp reinforced the need to expand U.S. agricultural exports to Cuba, stressing the importance of allowing access to credit so North Dakota producers can more easily export agricultural commodities to Cuba.

The biggest barrier that agricultural exporters in North Dakota and throughout the United States have faced when trying to export to Cuba is a legal prohibition on providing credit for exports to Cuba. Heitkamp's bipartisan legislation, which she introduced with Republican Senator John Boozman from Arkansas, would modify current law, lift the ban on private banks and companies offering credit for agricultural exports to Cuba, and help level the playing field for exporters in North Dakota and across the country.

"While farmers in North Dakota and all across the country dedicate their lives to feeding folks around the world, we have to make sure our producers have the opportunities they need to get their products to market," said Heitkamp. "The biggest obstacle in that effort involves private companies and banks not being able to provide credit to export agricultural commodities to Cuba, where these crops are in high demand. Especially in light of our country's new policy toward Cuba, there isn't any reason why Cuba should buy its black beans, peas, and lentils from Canada instead of North Dakota. When I was in Cuba last year, I spoke with top Cuban agriculture officials who would like to be able to access our products -- so let's make that happen. Our bill would enable North Dakota exporters to more easily enter the Cuban market, boosting our economy and communities right here at home."

Currently, all U.S. exports to Cuba require cash payments up front while other nations around the world offer credit to Cuban importers, essentially preventing farmers and ranchers from being able to ship their products to Cuba. Heitkamp's Agricultural Export Expansion Act would help level this playing field and remove the top barrier facing U.S. exporters of agricultural products to Cuba by changing a provision in current law that prohibits financing of exports to Cuba.

North Dakota is the 9th largest agriculture exporting state in the country, with an estimated $4.1 billion in commodities sold each year in foreign markets. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, North Dakota agricultural exports support about 27,000 jobs. Last December, Heitkamp highlighted how federal action that was taken would help support agricultural exports for North Dakota farmers. Additionally, she noted how the change in U.S.-Cuba policy would also support North Dakota's economy and provide at least some relief to low American commodity prices by opening new markets.

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