Havana ? New American food sales to communist Cuba reached nearly $75 million at an agribusiness fair aimed at whetting the island’s appetite for U.S. farm products and chipping away at the 40-year trade embargo.

Cuban officials said Monday they had struck deals to buy $74.8 million in American food. More deals were being announced as the five-day fair drew to a close Monday.

Authorities initially had said they had expected $50 million in contracts during the fair, which featured 288 exhibitions from 33 American states displaying products including cheese, chicken, tropical drinks, even chili sauce.

Contracts for $16 million were signed on Sunday alone, said Pedro Alvarez, head of Cuba’s food import concern Alimport.

President Fidel Castro showed up at the fair Sunday morning to witness the signing of two contracts: one for $5 million in soybeans and corn from F.C. Stone of Iowa, and a second to buy 25 million eggs worth $1 million from Dolphin Shipping & Trading of Georgia.