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13 April 2001 1. Wide of press conference 2. Mid shot of senators 3. Mid shot of senators and rice farmer representatives 4. SOUNDBITE: (English) David Van Oss, U-S-A Rice Federation "Cuba, prior to 1960, was our number one export market with the U-S for rice. We have several companies with us that sold rice directly to Cuba .We are currently exporting about two and a half million tonnes a year but, if we recapture this market, that would represent an increase of 15 per cent in exports of U-S rice". File 5. Two shots of ox drawn tractor ploughing fields 13 April 2001 6. SOUNDBITE: (English) John King, rice producer from Arkansas "Agriculture is in a depression right now. We need as many customers as we can find and Cuba is a large customer for U-S rice. If we can open this up, we can get our politicians to reduce all the restrictions that are on Cuba so as the American farmer can get out of this depression, come back to life and get some pulse back into his blood". 7. Cut aways of presser 8. SOUNDBITE: (English) George Nethercutt, U-S Congressman (Republican, Washington) "I think we will take a back seat to no one in terms of the quality of our product and our ability to provide good products to anybody in the world. That is what we are striving to do, so it is never too late". 9. Various cut aways of presser STORYLINE: U-S farmers and members of congress have travelled to Cuba this week calling for an end to the trade embargo. The agricultural delegation, who are lobbying for trade with Cuba, met with President Fidel Castro and leading Cuban officials before returning to the U-S on Friday. A Republican Congressman from the state of Washington, George Nethercutt, a Republican from the state of Missouri, Joanne Merson, and Democrat Bill Delahunt, joined representatives of U-S rice farmers for the trip. The group is lobbying for U-S sales of rice and other produce such as wheat, fruit and vegetables, to Cuba. But Cuba has until now declared it "will not buy a single aspirin" from the U-S under the current terms of trade embargo. The U-S lobby said at a press conference that it had appealed to Castro to review the small island country's blanket refusal to do business. Members of the lobby described their four and half hour meeting on Wednesday with Castro as enlightening. But they added it would take time and patience to recapture a market for US rice exports that was lost at the beginning of the revolution. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/1bf189106f5c9af415abcb3540dbcf9d Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork