At the opening of the event, which is taking place at the Gran Aston Hotel in this capital, US-Cuba Agricultural Coalition President Paul Johnson said that closer ties between US and Cuban citizens are the best hope to remove the political obstacles imposed by Washington.

These obstacles are incredibly challenging, built on falsehoods and misinformation, making it difficult to find solutions,’ he said.

He noted that the inclusion of Cuba in the unilateral State Sponsors of Terrorism list has no legal, moral or common sense basis, yet it directly affects ‘our ability to solve common problems.’

In agriculture, he said, ‘we have shared challenges that include increasing efficient trade, which could alleviate the food situation in Cuba,’ in addition to boosting collaboration between the private and State sectors, and the United States to increase local production.

Johnson remarked that these conferences allow sharing experiences, discovering opportunities, solving problems, as well as it is a time to deepen bilateral relations and build trust.

The president of the Cuban agricultural business group, Frank Castañeda, commented that the world is facing various crises, in particular the economic recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic, the increase in basic food prices, high levels of inflation and the effects of the war in Europe.

Cuba, he stressed, is suffering from this crisis just like the rest of the world, aggravated by the US blockade and the measures imposed by the Donald Trump administration (2017-2021), and maintained by incumbent President Joe Biden.

Under these circumstances, Cuba is changing its economic model, Castañeda said.

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