The American Soybean Association wants to see the full House and Senate support H.R. 4645 - the Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act and bring it to a vote as soon as possible. The act passed out of the House Ag Committee Wednesday and ASA President Rob Joslin says ASA opposes restrictions on exports of U.S. agricultural commodities for national security or foreign policy reasons that are not supported by all other major world producers and exporters.
The bill would eliminate the need to go through banks in other countries to conduct agricultural trades and the accompanying fees those banks charge. The bill would also allow agricultural exports to Cuba to meet the same payment requirements as exports to other countries, which means payment would be required when the title of the shipment changes hands, not in advance. Finally, the bill would allow U.S. citizens to travel to Cuba, reducing the bureaucratic red tape currently required for individuals to travel to Cuba to facilitate new agriculture sales. Joslin says agricultural producers in the United States are well positioned to benefit from additional trade in Cuba. U.S. suppliers can reach the three major Cuban ports in a matter of one day or less compared to the number of days it takes competitors from Brazil.
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