HAVANA -- (AP) -- Encouraged by signs Cuba may be ready to buy more U.S. products, the head of a leading agricultural firm said Thursday his company is willing to sell the communist county as much food as it wants.

 Illinois Gov. George Ryan arrived here Thursday with drug company representatives keen to do business with Cuba.

 ``The embargo robs us in Illinois and in the United States of a vast consumer market of 11 million people,'' Ryan said, referring to the 4-decade-old U.S. trade sanctions against Cuba. ``It's time to end the embargo and welcome Cuba into the international marketplace.''

 The high-profile visits by Minnesota agribusiness giant Cargill and the Illinois delegation come as Cuba woos Americans who oppose U.S. restrictions on trade with the island.

 ``It is our sincere hope that the success of this initial commercial transaction will lead to a further improvement in U.S.-Cuban relations,'' Cargill chairman and chief
 executive Warren R. Staley said Thursday as he announced the arrival of 25,000 metric tons of U.S. corn his company sold directly to Cuba.

 While hopes for a trade thaw are high among Cuban officials and U.S. firms, one expert warned against excessive optimism. Most U.S.-Cuba trade is barred by the
 embargo, and it was only after a November hurricane that Cuba got to buy its first U.S. food since the embargo began.

 ``The relationship between the United States and Cuba has never been reflected in one moment, but rather a series of moments, some more important than others'' said John Kavulich, president of the New York-based U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council.

 Nevertheless, it was notable when Pedro Alvarez, president of Cuba's food import enterprise, said this week that Cuba could buy more U.S. farm products if it receives encouraging signs from Washington. It was the first time a Cuban official had indicated the communist government would consider buying more U.S. food. Alvarez repeated his assertion at Cargill's news conference.

 Cuban leader Fidel Castro had said that the $35 million food purchase contracted late last year was a one-time deal. Deliveries are being made this month and next.

 Before Hurricane Michelle, Havana had refused to take advantage of a U.S. law passed in 2000 allowing direct food sales, because it prohibits U.S. government or private financing.

 While the focus on Cuba trade centers on food, drug companies also want to do business, said Mark Rasenick, director of Biomedical Neuroscience Training at the
 University of Illinois' College of Medicine.

 The embargo has never barred sales of medicine or medical supplies, but ``a lot of American companies just give up because it is so hard to get the licenses,'' Rasenick said by telephone.

 Ryan was accompanied by representatives of Ferris Manufacturing, Medline, DMS Pharmaceutical, JLR International and Century Healthcare.

                                    © 2002