MORE SALES TO CUBA FOR VIRGINIA PRODUCERS

Virginia apple growers top the list of U.S. apple suppliers to Cuba in the last quarter of this year with sales of 23 containers.  Perdue Farms, a major feed and poultry producer, also scored another big sale this week with 15,000 metric tons of soybeans for shipment to Havana.

GIC Trade, Inc., a Virginia agribusiness company, has been managing the newly established Virginia Apple Trading Company and has worked closely with Perdue to land their second major sale to Cuba.  Daniel Secondi, the managing director of the Virginia Apple Trading Company, said, "Cuba has proven to be a reliable and important buyer for Virginia product.  Patience and hard-nosed bargaining are critical."

GIC and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services have worked closely over the last year and a half to develop the Cuban market.  "GIC and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services have already led a number of trade delegations to Havana, and GIC hosted two conferences on agricultural trade with Cuba that have been key to our success, Secondi said.

Virginia Apple Trading Company, Perdue, and other Virginia companies are now negotiating future transactions for 2004.   "The key to success in any new market is on-the-ground marketing and finding the right formula to build market share," Secondi said.