Cuba seeks $4.5 million in state apples and peas

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Cuban government wants to buy an estimated $4.5 million worth of Washington state peas and apples — a move that would lead to the first ever deal between the state’s growers and the communist island nation led by Fidel Castro.

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., received a letter from the Cuban government Thursday notifying her that it intended to buy roughly $4 million worth of dry peas and about $500,000 worth of Red Delicious apples from Washington state, the nation’s top producer of apples. She said the purchase would probably happen in May or June.

Cantwell, Connie Niva of Everett, a member of the state Transportation Commission, and a number of other influential Washington state women visited Castro in January. They brought Red Delicious apples, assorted vegetables and wines from the state.

Cantwell said the trip was about establishing working relationships.

"I am so excited," she said. "When we were there, we were obviously interested in trying to push the envelope as far as getting a purchase of Washington products."

In a letter to Cantwell, the director of the Cuban import agency wrote: "We are intending to purchase medium-to-large red apples as juicy as the ones we had the opportunity to try and enjoy while in your visit."

Cantwell’s office said the entire contract is worth an estimated $4.5 million, including shipping, packaging and transportation costs. Of that, $3.5 million will go directly to the growers.

Since 1996, the apple industry has lost an estimated $1.7 billion nationally, and dry pea prices have dropped nearly 50 percent.

The Bush administration and powerful Cuban exiles support a 40-year-old embargo against Cuba. But both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have fought to ease and even eliminate the sanctions, saying Cuba could become a new market for American products.

A Senate farm bill includes a provision that makes it easier for Cuba to buy U.S. agricultural products by allowing it to have third parties finance the purchases, rather than paying cash. House and Senate negotiators are working out differences between their versions of the agricultural legislation.

"We have normalized relations with people around the globe," Cantwell said. "I look at Cuba as one of our closest neighbors. I think we could benefit by changing our relationship there."

Before her visit with Castro, his government signed agreements for the first purchases of American food in nearly four decades. Though Castro initially indicated it was a one-time deal, another government official later said Cuba could be persuaded to buy more U.S. food if the government makes the process easier. The contracts were valued at $35 million.

Cantwell said she asked Castro specifically about importing Washington state crops, including peas and lentils.

"He said, ‘Even the Bible tells you how much protein is in lentils. Of course we are interested in your lentils,’ " Cantwell recalled.

U.S. Rep. George Nethercutt, R-Wash., said the Cuban purchase could involve 1,000 tons of apples and 22,000 tons of dry peas, which are grown in the Palouse region of Eastern Washington.

"This sale gives half a million reasons why we need to improve our commercial relations with Cuba," Nethercutt said. "Our struggling state economy needs new market opportunities, and this sale shows that lifting embargoes can provide a tangible benefit to our agriculture producers."

Copyright ©2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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