Cuban Agriculture Minister Holds Several Meetings in the U.S.

HAVANA, Cuba, Jun 2 (acn) Cuba's Minister of Agriculture, Gustavo Rodriguez, who is on an official visit to the United States, held meetings on Thursday with the Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, Michael Scuse, and the Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker.

As reported by the official website of the Cuban Embassy to Washington, in the morning, the Cuban minister of Agriculture was received at the headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce by its vice-president for Latin America, Jodi Bond, and by the president of the Cuba-U.S. Business Board, Carlos Gutierrez.
At the Chamber of Commerce he spoke with U.S. businessmen on the development and prospects of the agricultural sector in Cuba and the possibilities of cooperation and relations with the U.S. in this specific sector.
He also he participated in a meeting with executives of the U.S. Rice Federation.
As part of his program for June 3, Rodriguez and his accompanying delegation will visit the state of Iowa, where they will hold an official meeting with the Secretary of Agriculture, Thomas Vilsack, and will tour agricultural production and research centers.
The visit of the Cuban Minister of Agriculture is part of the new stage of relations between Cuba and the United States on the path towards the normalization of relations.
Previously, the Cuban ministers of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and Investment, Bruno Rodriguez and Rodrigo Malmierca, respectively, paid official visits to the northern country, the first ones since July 20, when diplomatic relations between the two countries were reestablished.