Castro opens doors to American food

American food sales to Cuba will soon start flowing, thanks to dictator Fidel Castro's having removed a major obstacle to such trade, the first in 40 years.

In one of the dreary, four and one-half hour speeches for which Castro is famous, the dictator said that U.S. ships and vessels from other countries can transport food to his island prison of a nation.

This means he is abandoning his longtime insistence that food be shipped on Cuban vessels.

Cuba's plans to buy American are certain to please America's highly productive agricultural producers, who have long eyed this potentially lucrative market. Congress approved food exports to Cuba in 2000, easing a trade embargo imposed in 1961.

Cuban request to buy specific items still must obtain final licensing approval from the U.S. government. Cuban officials have said they will pay in cash for purchases between $3 million and $10 million dollars.

Many details are still to be worked out. But news that American agricultural products are soon to begin flowing to Cuba is good for our hard-pressed agribusiness sector and all jobs connected to it.