AKIPRESS.COM - Advocates hoping to help businesses cash in on loosening trade restrictions with Cuba say Texas (U.S.) would be a key economic beneficiary, according to The Dallas Morning News.

The national group Engage Cuba announced on Thursday that it was launching a Texas state council – made up of more than 40 business leaders and officials so far – who will push for Congress to lift remaining trade and travel bans.

"This is an extraordinary opportunity," said Dave Shaw, president of Texas Lyceum, a leadership and policy group. "It's not very common that Texas gets to develop a new trading partner in its region of the world."

In particular, Engage Cuba leaders highlighted that the nation relies heavily on agricultural imports, averaging about $2 billion each year.

According to the organization, there's also a close alignment between Cuba's major imports and Texas' export products. For example, Cuba was the largest market for U.S. long-grain rice, while Texas ranks 5th in state rice exports. In 2014, those exports added up to $92.8 million.

Chris Wallace, president of the Texas Business Association, said the state's "small, midsize, to large companies" in sectors from ranching to software to energy could see pieces of the action if the trade embargo with Cuba were lifted.

Port officials in Houston and Corpus Christi said they saw big opportunities in a growing Cuban market, both for the state as a whole and for their respective local economies.

In 2014, Texas sent $131,327 in goods to Cuba, down from $96.2 million in 2008, according to Engage Cuba data.

Beyond the economic benefits of increasing imports and exports, Engage Cuba President James Williams said creating closer business ties will help expose Cubans to American ways.

Opening the door to more American tourists, he said, will help support small businesses on the island, promoting free enterprise – a very Texan value.

"This is an issue that's been neglected and stuck in a different time," he said. "But Texas lawmakers are common sense, and with the power of American engagement around the world, we're expecting a favorable response."

Wallace said his organization has a "very good track record" of working with the state's congressional delegation on various issues.

And he said that, while state legislators have limited power when it comes to international trade policies, Gov. Greg Abbott's trip to Havana late last year was a promising sign.

"We want to make sure we have a total open market with the businesses of Cuba, which, frankly, need the products we are known for here in Texas," he said. "Lifting this embargo will be key for us."