The governor of the southern U.S. state of Georgia said on Tuesday that he is in favor of expanding trade between his country and Cuba.

Sonny Perdue arrived in Cuba four days ago leading some 40 lawmakers, officers and representatives of the agroindustry and the University of Georgia.

During his stay in the Caribbean island state, Perdue met with directors of the Cuban Chamber of Commerce and the company Alimport.

Speaking at a press conference at the end of his visit, Perdue expressed his satisfaction on his visit and said his stay in Cuba was a way to eliminate the existing political barriers in bilateral trade.

He described his tour as "very successful" and hoped that he would not be criticized in Georgia for having done the trip.

He said that as a citizen of his country, he has the freedom of defending the free trade and exchanges between the United States and Cuba, which can offer one more opportunity of jobs for people living in Georgia.

Perdue also said that he has hopes for a reduction of the prohibitions established by his country to "allow the U.S. citizens to travel to Cuba and know the beauties of this country."

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Georgia's exports to Cuba is the third largest among the 51 U.S. states. In 2010 Georgia has exported to Cuba almost 16.3 million U.S. dollars worth of food such as chicken, pork, sausages, soybean and margarine.