Nixon Completes Rice Sale From Missouri to Cuba

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon announced, from Havana, that Cuba has accepted a 20-ton shipment of long-grain rice grown and processed in Missouri. It’s the first rice sale between the US and Cuba since 2008.

The rice will come from Bernie, Missouri at the Martin Rice Company. Missouri is fourth among US states in rice production.

Governor Nixon has been in Cuba since Sunday for scheduled meetings with Cuban government officials in the area of trade and agriculture. He will return Wednesday.

Nixon said Cuba could become a significant export market for Missouri’s rice growers, and he will meet with U.S. officials to discuss increasing trade with the country.

He also is scheduled to meet with Cuban officials, speak at a business forum and visit a deep-water port.

Cuba will be the fifth country Nixon has visited in 2016.