As Cuba begins to cautiously open its markets and begin diplomatic engagement with the United States, AEM has encouraged U.S. and Cuban government officials to improve market access for U.S. manufactured goods.
AEM recently joined the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba (USACC), a coalition of leading U.S. agriculture interests seeking to end the trade embargo and liberalize agricultural trade between the U.S. and Cuba.
AEM’s involvement in the USACC will further enhance its connectivity with senior government stakeholders and educate the public on the economic benefits to U.S. agricultural producers by lifting the Cuban embargo.
Case-by-Case Review Policy
The new coalition’s work is playing out as the U.S. government takes steps to liberalize trade with Cuba. The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) in January took steps to authorize exports and re-exports to improve living conditions in Cuba.
That includes a new rule published in January that establishes a case-by-case review policy of exports and re-exports of items for agricultural production. The policy also includes exports or re-exports of items for use in the construction of: facilities for treating public water supplies, facilities for supplying electricity and other energy which directly benefits the Cuban people.
However, the BIS will continue to apply a general policy of denial for applications to export or re-export items for use by state-owned enterprises, agencies, or other organizations of the Cuban government that primarily generate revenue for the state, including those engaged in tourism and those engaged in the extraction or production of minerals or other raw materials.
For More Information
To determine if your U.S. product can be exported into Cuba, or to obtain an application for a license to export, you can contact the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security at 202-482-4252.
To obtain additional information on exporting into Cuba, please contact AEM’s Alex Russ at (aruss@aem.org, tel: 202-898-9006).
