Many believe the embargo will be lifted sooner rather than later. One of the most prominent delegations so far was led by Illinois governor George Ryan. American businesses, like American farmers, see post-Castro Cuba as a potentially lucrative market and do not want to concede it to foreign competitors. Allowing sales of food and medicine would not result in much increase in exports to Cuba, nearly everyone backing the bill admits. The measure specifies that companies wanting to sell to Cuba would have to obtain yearly licenses to export products and wait six months after the law is enacted to conduct business.
Goods are limited to food, medicine, and medical products.
There has already been some movement in this direction, with 63 licenses for export of medicine and medical products granted by the Commerce Department last year. With Cuba facing foreign currency shortages and lacking credits to purchase agricultural products from U.S. businesses, there is little chance much food will be sold to Cuba under the proposed law. Cuba currently imports wheat from France in a barter arrangement. Last year some 714,000 tons of cereals, about 70 percent of Cuba's flour needs, were imported from France. The barter arrangement has grown steadily each year since it was started in the early 1990s, according to Cuba Business .