Despite embargo, NC trades with Cuba

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — Despite the ongoing trade embargo with Cuba, North Carolina exports millions worth of agricultural products to the Caribbean nation each year.

And that figure is expected to grow as the United States normalizes diplomatic relations with Cuba.

Peter Thornton, the associate director for international marketing for the state Department of Agriculture, tells media outlets that North Carolina has been exporting agricultural products to Cuba for years.

US Census Bureau figures show that this year, through the end of October, the state exported nearly $8.5 million in such products to Cuba.

Thornton expects exports to increase with normalization, but it could take a few years for that to happen.

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