Winrock International, the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute and The Howard Baker Forum are planning a two-day, invitation-only roundtable examining how normalizing relations with Cuba could affect the American food and agriculture sector.
“The Cuba Consortium Agriculture and Food Roundtable” is scheduled for March 21-22 at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute on Petit Jean Mountain in Morrilton.
Former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle of South Dakota and Gov. Asa Hutchinson are among the event’s speakers, which includes policy experts, government officials and agriculture leaders. Others include Cuban trade official Ruben Ramos Arrieta and University of Havana and Yale professor Reinaldo Funes Monzote.
The event is a program of The Cuba Consortium, an assembly of companies, nonprofits, investors, academics and entrepreneurs “organized to track and examine the normalization process in both countries and to inform and prepare its members for opportunities to engage Cuba.”
“The [roundtable] will play an important role in the conversation on U.S.-Cuba relations,” Daschle said in a news release. “The Cuba Consortium is excited to partner with Winrock International and the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute to convene a knowledgeable group for a robust discussion on agricultural trade with Cuba.”
The event will focus on Cuban agriculture and efforts to establish trade there. Speakers will explore barriers to lifting the trade embargo, provide an overview of Cuban agriculture, and discuss human rights concerns.
“Normalizing relations with Cuba could be important to Arkansas producers,” said Marta Loyd, executive director of the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute. “It’s an issue that requires informed dialogue among a wide variety of stakeholders and policymakers. We are pleased to partner with Winrock International and the Howard Baker Forum to facilitate this meaningful discussion.”
Other confirmed speakers include:
- U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark. (via video)
- U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark. (via Skype)
- Ruben Ramos Arrieta, minister counselor, Economic and Trade Office, Embassy of Cuba
- Scott Campbell, president, The Howard Baker Forum
- Rodney Ferguson, president & CEO, Winrock International
- Terry Harris, vice president, Riceland Foods, Inc.
- DeAnn McGrew, director, Agriculture & Volunteer Programs, Winrock International
- William A. Messina, Jr., agricultural economist, University of Florida Food & Resource Economics Department
- Randy Veach, president, Arkansas Farm Bureau
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