Cuba bought $17.8 million of U.S. food and agricultural products during February, compared to $22.8 million during January, said the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, which tracks trade between the nations. It was the second year in a row in which U.S. sales declined during the second month of the year. The decline this February was not as large as it was in 2015. The leading export items this time were soymeal, frozen chicken meat and calcium phosphate, used in fertilizer, as a food supplement, in baking powder, and in industrial products.
So far this year, Cuba ranks 50th among U.S. food and ag export markets, said the council in its Economic Eye on Cuba newsletter. The first U.S. license for sale of U.S. agricultural equipment to Cuba went to Gulfwise Commerce LLC. The $108,000 transaction calls for delivery of two pieces of grass-planting equipment for erosion control and recreational fields, according to Gulfwise.