Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/764547
26 JANUARY 1, 2017 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com make the U.S. a natural trading part- ner. Cuba can work around credit rules using third parties, but only to a limited extent. For purchases of rice and other goods, Cuba often turns to countries that will provide financing such as Vietnam, China or Brazil, he said. Martinez said he'd like to increase purchases of U.S. goods and services, including equipment and chemicals from Monsanto and other suppliers. (As if to underscore that point, the president of Iran and the premier of China visited Cuba while we were there, prospecting for trade deals.) At our visits to government offices, typ- ically bland monoliths done Soviet style, we heard the same refrain: Credit is the problem. The message gets repeated in the U.S. by organizations hoping to undo the embargo for cultural, humanitarian or economic reasons. Last February, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack visited Cuba and said he would expect strong sales of U.S. products, especially soybeans, rice, poultry and biofuels. The U.S. hoped to eventually provide 50 percent of Cuba's food and agricultural needs, up from less than 15 percent now. Just how big could the market become, near term? For some insight, many point to the Dominican Republic, which has a comparable population and standard of living. The Dominican Republic today gets about 45 percent of its agricultural imports from the U.S. That's $1.2 billion compared with Cuba's U.S. agricultural imports of $262 million. Cuba has such a vivid place in American imagination, it's easy to get bullish on the market there. But when you take into account other factors, the buzz from Cuba Libre starts to wane. For starters, Cuba's purchases of U.S. agricul- tural goods have not gone up during nor- malization; imports of U.S. agricultural goods fell 62 percent since 2008. Even with credit, the average Cuban's wages of $20 to $30 a month will remain a damper on growth, even with the additional income some Cubans receive from private-sector wages or remittances from relatives in the U.S. Moreover, any growth in agricultural imports will be constrained by the explicit Cuban policy of increasing domestic agriculture; in other words, the state will continue to direct resources and policies toward improving the weak farm sector. Increased trade with Cuba would certainly benefit American farmers who already grow what Cuba buys, such as rice, chicken, wheat and animal feed. I'm not bullish about tree fruit, though. It's hard to see a humid country with unre- liable electricity and inadequate chill facilities buying apples, pears or cherries from the Pacific Northwest. On my visit, I didn't see apples for sale in any of the markets I visited. Some Washington apples were shipped to Cuba years ago, with much fanfare and expectations, but there's been little activity since. "Our focus is really Asia," Rebecca Lyons, international marketing director with the Washington State Apple Commission, told me in an interview. She ticked off all the challenges with Cuban trade, such as credit restrictions. "If those things are overcome, there's potential there in the medium- and long-term," she said. "One of the greatest things is economic devel- opment of the Cubans themselves. They have to have money to buy things." Change is coming to Cuba, but not quickly. • Announcing the third annual . . . Winter AG Academy Series !! Pre-Registration is Required Choose from the following three event dates/venues: • January 24 th , 2017 @ Yakima Convention Center • February 7 th , 2017 @ Wenatchee Convention Center • February 15 th , 2017 @ Three Rivers Convention Center For more information and to register, contact Maegen or Salvador at G.S. Long Company : (800) 338-5664 or maegen@gslong.com or salvadorj@gslong.com Visit www.gslong.com for a full calendar of events Choose from one of three all-day professional training opportunities in one quality event Workers - Training to the Worker Protection Standard (Spanish) Learn about the important changes to the Federal Worker Protection Standard taking a ect January 1, 2017. If you have employees working directly with or even around pesticides, this workshop is an excellent opportunity for you to provide them with Accredited and Documented Training. All training is Hands On and directly administered by experienced WSDA and L&I trainers. All participants will receive a WSDA Handler Card upon course completion – no testing required. Six WSDA Pesticide recerti cation credits will be available for licensed participants. Crew Leaders - Leadership Skills (Spanish) Provide your team leaders the training to cultivate a healthy workplace and gain respect from workers. The focus of this track is on-boarding beyond orientation through e ective communication, feedback and performance measurement. Topics will include how to properly and e ectively administer progressive discipline, as well as how to apply coaching and motivational techniques taught through hands on exercises, and much more. Other topics will include recognizing potential harassment or retaliation scenarios, next steps, and review on how to properly direct unwanted visitors that may show up to your eld or orchard. Owner/HR – Labor Law (English) This workshop o ers important labor and regulatory updates speci c to seasonal employers. Topics will focus on issues that a ect you, such as: union activity, secondary boycotts, and labor relations; past, present, and future labor trends and solutions; the new Form I-9; and the updated EEOC Enforcement Guidance on Retaliation to name a few.