A co-founder of the Congressional Chicken Caucus recently traveled to Cuba to learn how that island nation farms tobacco, grapefruit and sugar.
Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) flew from Memphis to Miami and then to Havana for a visit April 5-9 at the expense of the Washington Office on Latin America, which paid $2,746 for the trip.
"As a Congressman from an agricultural district, Cuba represents a big market opportunity for producers," Crawford wrote in his trip report, filed Friday. "The trip promotes learning about opportunity for increased trade and building key relationships."
Crawford was joined by Rep. Ralph Abraham (R-La.) and congressional staffers Edward Verill, Luke Letlow and Christopher Jones. The trip included a Havana cigar factory tour and presentations by University of Havana agriculture and economics professors.
In addition to the tobacco that goes into its famed cigars, Cuba is noted for its sugar exports (it once was the world's largest exporter) and for tropical fruits. Like Cuba, Arkansas is a leading producer of rice and is the nation's largest poultry producer and one of its largest for growing cotton.
