No flood of orders for US food yet from Cuba

Washington

BEFORE the US embargo, Cuba bought more American rice than any other country in the world. Now, most Cuban rice comes from Vietnam. Last year, Cuba imported US$200 million worth of wheat - virtually all of it from Europe and Canada and none from the United States, the largest global exporter.

Many US agricultural producers thought those facts would begin to change this year, as US relations with Cuba improved.

But in the six months since President Barack Obama announced a new opening to the island, sales of US foodstuffs - among the few US products allowed, with restrictions, under the embargo - have dropped by half,…