Havana, November 3 (RHC)— U.S. John Deere & Co. executives have signed an agreement at the Havana Trade Fair with the Cuban enterprise Maquimport to supply farm tractors to Cuba.

The vice president of the U.S. company, Charlie Stamp, and Maquimport Director General Aner Perez signed the deal.

The sale of farm tractors and implements to the Cuban agriculture sector will “improve food security for the Cuban people,” said Deere & Co. spokesman Ken Golden.  “Deere believes that improvements in the Cuban agricultural sector would improve the availability and affordability of food for the general population,” Golden said. “The dairy, row crop and fruit and vegetable are sectors of specific emphasis.”

The signing with John Deere comes a day after another company, Caterpillar, announced it will open a distribution center at the Mariel Special Development Zone, becoming the first U.S. company to have a physical presence in the high-profile development project.

A first shipment of Deere tractors is scheduled to arrive in Cuba in mid-November.

“This equipment is for testing and appraisal to ensure it will work with specific Cuban agricultural conditions and farming practices,” Golden said.

16 U.S. companies are attending Havana's International Trade Fair, despite the reinforcement of the U.S. blockade against Cuba. The decades-long hostile measure punishes US and foreign companies who keep trade relations with the island.

The prospects of business relations of the American companies currently doing business with Cuba will depend on the policies being undertaken by the Trump Administration.