Nixon to travel to Cuba on trade mission

Gov. Jay Nixon will not be spending most of Memorial Day weekend at barbecues like most Americans.

Instead, Nixon will be leading a delegation of Missouri business leaders and government officials on a trade mission to Cuba from May 29 to June 1. With Cuba and the United States normalizing relations under direction from President Barack Obama, Nixon said it gave Missouri an opportunity to make a substantial foreign trading partner, particularly regarding Missouri’s agricultural goods.

“The growth of Missouri exports has gone hand in hand with our revitalized economy,” Nixon said in a statement.

Nixon and the trade mission will visit with Cuban government officials and members of the U.S. State Department in Havana and tour a deepwater port in Mariel, Cuba near Havana. He is also expected to address the Cuban Chamber of Commerce.

The governor planned on attending a trade mission to Cuba in March of last year, but remained in Jefferson City after the death of former State Auditor Tom Schweich. First Lady Georganne Nixon was able to attend and will accompany her husband on this trip as well.

Nixon emphasized that Missouri rice production, among other agricultural goods, could prove invaluable for the island nation of 11 million people where rice is a staple. Food shortages and inadequate agricultural infrastructure are common in Cuba, and many Missourians in the agriculture industry believe their harvests can compete with less fresh, lower quality foods shipped to Cuba from Asia.

Missouri is the fifth largest producer of rice in the United States.

Rep. Becky Ruth worked this past legislative session to expand port infrastructure in the state, and notes that 40 percent of all the products shipped on the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers are agricultural products. She believes this trip will serve as both a boon to Missouri’s ports and its farming sector.

“This is a great opportunity for our state and it’s going to mean a lot for our ports, especially in terms of economic development,” Ruth said.

Earlier this year, Nixon also visited Panama to tour the expansion of the Panama Canal, another tool in Latin America that many believe could spur economic development in Missouri.

The rest of the trade delegation is comprised of the following individuals:

   Richard Fordyce, Director – Missouri Department of Agriculture

   Mike Downing, Director – Missouri Department of Economic Development.

   Dr. Carlos Vargas, President – Southeast Missouri State University

   Gary Wheeler – Missouri Soybean Association

   Silvia Hollis – Mid-Continent Aircraft, Hayti

   Thorstein Holt – Holtec Gas Systems, Chesterfield

   Brady Moses – SatCommX, Lampe

   Jeffrey Fort – MOM Brands Sales, St. Louis