In an agreement signed last week, John Deere is expected to be the first direct sale of U.S. machinery to Cuba in more than half a century. An agreement signed at the Havana Fair last week between John Deere executives and Cuba calls for the shipment of “several hundred tractors and associated implements” over a four-year period.
Farm Equipment Magazine reports the vast majority of the tractors to be sold will be the company’s baseline 5,000 series, between 75 and 115 horsepower. In signing the agreement, Deere company officials said the sale of farm tractors and implements to Cuba will “improve food security for the Cuban people.”
The announcement comes a day after a Caterpillar dealer announced it will open a distribution center in Cuba. Both companies seem to be racing to establish a foothold in Cuba before the Trump administration follows through with prohibiting sales to Cuba.
The first shipment of Deere tractors is scheduled to arrive in Cuba in mid-November.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.