Para todos aquellos que no tienen mejor cosa que demonizar el famoso «embargo norteamericano» al glorioso régimen revolucionario Cubano, ese paraíso de libertad, un par de notas de economía, que nunca viene mal:
As Maine Gov. John Baldacci and several Maine business leaders move closer to securing $10 million in contracts with Cuban officials this weekend in Havana, New Hampshire is concentrating its export marketing elsewhere.
Maine and Vermont can count themselves among 37 states that are selling millions of dollars worth of agricultural products to Cuba.
Marchant said since the embargo change took effect in 2001, $1 billion worth of exports from the U.S. have been signed and paid for. In November, Marchant said $200 million in contracts were signed with U.S. firms.
He said he’s hoping to secure at least $15 million in contracts for Maine companies during this weekend’s trip to Cuba.
Maine’s Legislature passed a resolution in 2002 to lift a trade embargo and normalize relations with Cuba. A year ago, a preliminary $10 million export agreement was signed by Robert Spear, then Maine’s agriculture commissioner, and Pedro Alvarez Borrego, head of the Cuban import agency Alimport.
According to the Havana Journal, an online news magazine focused on Cuba and based in South Yarmouth, Mass., the nation has gone from being ranked at the bottom of 200 countries for U.S. agricultural products to 25th place in 2004 after buying nearly $400 million of products. These include peas from North Dakota, rice from Louisiana and Texas, dairy cows from Vermont, apples from Washington State, and now potatoes, lumber and frozen seafood from Maine.
Marchant said he hopes increased exports to Cuba from U.S. companies will create the political will needed in Washington, D.C., to end the embargo. He added that he sees no reason to continue it given the fact the U.S. actively trades with communists nations like China and Vietnam.
«There are people in Cuba who need food and there are people in Cuba who need medicine,» Marchant said. «Ninety-nine out of 100 Cubans are very fine people who don’t know what Ibuprofen is, and this is ludicrous.»
En otras palabras: el embargo es permeable, con dificultades (aunque espero se resuelvan) pero permeable a los productos de primera necesidad. USA es el primer proveedor de alimentos en el mercado Cubano. Y por último, si leemos detenidamente el artículo, veremos como no es bueno generalizar y aclamar aquello de «todos los yankies son malos», pues resulta que los hay menos malos, que se preocupan por la falta de alimentos y medicamentos en Cuba. Seguro que más de uno no se lo va a creer.
