Iowa trade mission to Cuba delayed; now likely in December

CEDAR RAPIDS - An Iowa trade mission to Cuba scheduled to begin this week has been delayed indefinitely - probably until December - because of scheduling conflicts in the Caribbean island nation.

The combination of Pope Francis pushing back his visit to Cuba from early September to the middle of the month, the annual United Nations General Assembly and preparations for a visit by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce that would have overlapped with the Iowa delegation's visit created conflicts for Cuban officials Iowans had planned to meet with, according to Sen. Steve Sodders, D-State Center.

'They were just overwhelmed,” Sodders said, and asked the Iowans to reschedule their trade mission.

'I'm frustrated,” Sodders said, but business officials with international ties say this sort of delay is not atypical.

Planning for the trip is continuing, Sodders said. An embassy official the Iowans have been working with will be in Cuba this week to make arrangements for meetings with officials there.

Sodders' goal for the trip is to open doors from Iowa businesses wanting to do business in Cuba as relations with the Communist nation are normalized.

'I want Iowa businesses to get in there first in this new, open market,” he said.

Iowa and Cuba are a good match, Sodders said, because 'they need a lot of what we're No. 1 in - ag products like pork, poultry, tractors, seed, all those things.”

Also, Iowa business is well-positioned as distributors of Cuban products such as rum and coffee, he said.

In addition to legislators, the trade mission also will include representatives of banks, credit unions and telecommunications providers. Sodders is trying to recruit some of the smaller Iowa telecommunications companies because Cuba has expressed a need for rural broadband.

Participants also likely will include representatives of the Iowa Corn Growers Association and pork producers, Mobile Track Solutions in Elkader and Hawkeye Hotels in Cedar Rapids.

Although some individuals may not be able to participate because of the delay, Sodders said it's possible some ag commodity group members will be able to go once their fall fieldwork is finished.

The Obama administration has plans to ease the 50-year embargo on travel and trade with Cuba following a December 2014 announcement of intentions to normalize their relations. However, the U.S. maintains a trade and economic embargo on the island, which can only be lifted by Congress.