The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) testified yesterday in favor of a recently introduced House bill that would foster additional U.S. agricultural exports to Cuba, and permit open travel for all Americans to that nation.
NMPF Board member John Wilson, who is Sr. Vice President of Marketing & Industry Affairs for Dairy Farmers of America, urged support for the Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act (H.R. 4645). The legislation is being championed by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson and Representative Jerry Moran of Kansas. The legislation presently has 37 additional co-sponsors supporting it.
“NMPF believes that efforts to help regain the exports we lost last year are essential to helping farmers and putting the U.S. dairy industry on a firmer footing going forward,” said Wilson. “H.R. 4645 represents one such positive step in the right direction to increase demand for U.S. dairy products.”
The bill would establish clarity and predictability regarding the “cash-in-advance” provision of the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act (TSREEA) by ensuring its interpretation according to the original intent of Congress to allow for payment in a manner that did not impede trade, while also not offering the extension of credit to Cuba. Prior interpretations of this provision have hampered U.S. dairy exporters’ ability to ship product to Cuba in a safe and cost-efficient manner, Wilson said.
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