Moscow lawmaker Tom Trail joining trade trip to Cuba

Cubans will eat the misshapen and discolored Palouse lentils that Idaho farmers generally have to sell as animal feed, said Rep. Tom Trail, R-Moscow. So he is heading down to the communist country with Idaho's governor to persuade Cubans to buy more.

"I'll be there to give support where I can with further opportunities for Idaho agricultural products," Trail said.

Trail will join about 35 Idahoans and Gov. C.L. (Butch) Otter on Tuesday as they head to Havana. They will be there until Friday.

Most of the trade group will be members of the private sector.

"He's trying to open up new markets to Idaho's products," said Otter's spokesman Jon Hanian. "He's hoping to sell some groceries."

Otter is convinced Cuba's market is ripe with possibility, Hanian said, even though the U.S. government only allows limited trade with the country for agriculture, timber and pharmaceutical products.

Trail, who chairs the House Agriculture Committee, invited himself along and is the only lawmaker making the trip, he said.

Since the Midwest has a competitive advantage for wheat and other grain exports, Trail will focus on pushing lentils and peas.

"The one niche here in north Idaho is peas and lentils," Trail said.

He said a 2003 trip to Cuba by Otter and U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, laid the groundwork for more trade opportunities. After that trip, Cuba agreed to import $10 million in products from Idaho.

"We hope to build on what Craig and Otter did with that agricultural trade mission."

Trail said Cuba has an appetite for Idaho legumes. The country doesn't mind using misshapen or discolored lentils for human consumption, he said.

"I wouldn't want to loosen a tooth trying them," Trail joked. "But they are very high in protein."

It is unclear how many Idaho peas and lentils make it to Cuba.

Trade records only show $22,000 of trade to Cuba in 2004, according to Idaho Department of Commerce and Labor. That was for potatoes.

The problem with tracking Idaho shipments to Cuba is that peas and lentils first travel to Gulf Coast states. Once there, the products are recorded as exports to Cuba from that state, not Idaho. For example, Louisiana exported $147 million in products to Cuba in 2005.

"There's not an easy way to segregate these," said Pete Klaiber, director of marketing for the Idaho Pea and Lentil Commission in Moscow. "All we have is overall U.S. exports generally."

Klaiber noted Cuba, on a three-year average, is the second largest importer of U.S. peas and the ninth largest importer of U.S. lentils. Those numbers should hearten Palouse farmers, whether peas and lentils come from Idaho or not.

"They're taking significant quantities off the market and that supports prices here in the Northwest, no question," Klaiber said. "Even a smaller percentage of that is good news."

The pea and lentil commission also has sent trade delegations to Cuba, he said, adding a visit from the governor and people like Trail is good for farmers.

Trail visited Cuba once before on a University of Idaho-sponsored trip to study Ernest Hemingway. A fluent Spanish speaker, he recalled being allowed to travel freely and seeing few armed police.

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Ferguson may be contacted at dferguson@lmtribune.com or at (208) 743-9600, ext. 274.