HAVANA (AP) - President Fidel Castro said Friday he was looking forward to next week's trade fair of American food products here and said Cuba plans to keep buying agricultural products from U.S. firms.

  Presiding over the Thursday night close of a gathering of economists from across the Western Hemisphere, Castro told reporters early Friday that he would attend the four-day fair, beginning next Thursday.

  ''We are happy they are coming,'' Castro said of the more than 200 American agricultural firms and organizations set to participate.

  As for making more direct purchases of food from U.S. producers, ''for a time it will be beneficial to do it,'' Castro said.

  A 2000 U.S. law created an exception to the four-decade American trade embargo against Cuba, allowing American firms to make direct commercial sales of food and agricultural products to Cuba.

  At first, Castro's government refused to buy ''a single grain of rice'' under the law because it barred American financing for the sales, making them more difficult.

  But the government began taking advantage of the law in November after Hurricane Michelle devastated central Cuba and it was forced to dip into its food reserves to feed storm victims.

  Since then, Cuba has purchased more than $120 million of American food, including beans, peas, rice, wheat, chicken parts and apples.