040219 Cuba Buying U.S. Poultry Despite Flu ScareFebruary 22, 2004Havana, Cuba - Cuba, the U.S. poultry industry's eighth export market, said on Saturday it would increase imports despite the appearance of the dreaded bird flu in four states and bans slapped on U.S. chicken and eggs by some countries. "We have limited purchases from a few states due to avian influenza, but see no problem with the vast majority," said Pedro Alvarez, chairman of Cuba's state food importer Alimport. Alvarez said Cuba would purchase 120,000 metric tons of U.S. poultry in 2004 as his company increased U.S. food imports in general. Japan, South Korea and Poland, among other nations, banned U.S. poultry after the discovery this month of bird flu in U.S. flocks, although it is a strain that only kills chickens and not the deadly one that has caused at least 22 human deaths in Asia. The communist-run Caribbean island has emerged as the 35th-biggest export market for U.S. agricultural products since Washington in 2000 loosened the trade embargo to allow food sales for cash. Cuba purchased $256.9 million worth of U.S. agricultural products last year, including more than 74,000 metric tons of poultry valued at $37.2 million. "The statement by Alimport is significant as Cuba, based on our analysis of government data, is the poultry industry's eighth-largest foreign market," said John Kavulich, president of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council. Kavulich, whose organization monitors trade between the two countries, said Cuba was now an important customer for companies such as Tyson Foods, Perdue Farms and Gold Kist.
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