By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

HAVANA, Dec. 17 — American farm leaders called for an end to the United States trade embargo with Cuba during talks on Wednesday that have resulted in nearly $110 million in new food sales to the island.

Interest by American food companies in doing business in Cuba has grown even as the United States government tightens restrictions, including stepped-up
enforcement of rules on American travel.

"Ending the embargo is the right thing to do," Iowa's agriculture secretary, Patty Judge, told a news conference. She said American restrictions on travel to Cuba by
most Americans should also be eliminated.

"When Americans can finally come to Cuba on vacation, they might want steak, and we hope that steak is sourced from Iowa," she said. "We see white tablecloth
opportunities for our products here."

Representing 147 agribusinesses, port authorities, supermarkets and other enterprises, the Americans came here for talks on the second anniversary of the first
American commercial food shipments to post-revolutionary Cuba.

That first shipment, $300,000 worth of chicken parts, sailed into Havana Bay from Gulfport, Miss., on Dec. 16, 2001.

Since then Cuba has contracted to buy more than $500 million in goods on a cash basis, Cuban officials said. An exception to United States trade sanctions against
the island allows the direct commercial sales of agricultural goods but prohibits American financing for the transactions.

Negotiations for more sales continued Wednesday, and Cuban officials reported coming close to their goal of $130 million in new contracts.

Alabama's agriculture commissioner, Ron Sparks, said he hoped business relationships being formed between American farm representatives and Cuban officials
would survive the rocky relations between the governments.

The countries have not had diplomatic ties for more than four decades.

"There could be policy set tomorrow that could take away the little trade we have now," Mr. Sparks said.

"But it cannot take away the relationships I've made with the Cuban people."

On Tuesday night, flamenco dancers clapped and stomped and waiters served steak with California wine as Fidel Castro invited the 250 American farm
representatives to a formal dinner that stretched into early Wednesday.

Mr. Castro wore a dark suit during the Tuesday night dinner at Revolution Palace, where he has his offices and entertains visiting dignitaries, Americans here for the
talks said.

The dinner, which ended about 3 a.m. Wednesday, was the most elaborate in a string of meetings Mr. Castro has held with the American visitors since talks began
Monday.

Several representatives of American companies said here they hoped eventually to invest in the island — something prohibited by trade sanctions imposed in 1960 by the Eisenhower administration.