After two years on hiatus due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 38th edition of the Havana International Fair (FIHAV) launched last Monday with less representativeness than in its previous version, some novelties in the portfolio and the persistent purpose of capturing the foreign investment that the island’s ailing economy cries out for.
Today they are in Havana, just over 60 nations represented. During the inauguration, the Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz It highlighted the government’s purpose of expanding the facilities for foreign businessmen to explore and do business in the country. In turn, he recognized that “we still have a long way to go.”
In the same vein, the President Miguel Diaz-Canelpresent at the opening activities of what is considered one of the most important commercial exchanges in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Díaz-Canel: “Open foreign investment for North American and Cuban-American companies”
Díaz-Canel insisted on the idea that Cuba is open to all possibilities that contribute to increasing its trade, including the investment of a USA and the entrepreneurship of Cuban-American citizens.
Despite this perspective, the presence of entities from the northern nation in the commercial conclave is increasingly far from that boom experienced five years ago, when, during the administration of Barack Obama, a thaw began in bilateral relations that lasted until the arrival of Donald Trump to the White House.
However, the companies that have maintained their attendance at this trade fair and others that are debuting in this edition, value the seriousness and confidence that the Cuban counterpart has shown up to now and view with optimism the most recent movements to reconfigure the economic structure of the country.
Among those that continue to bet on permanence is the United States Poultry Meat and Egg Exporters Council (USAPEEC), a regular at FIHAV since its 2014 edition.
Ana Vettorazzi, representative of that group, believes that for US producers the Cuban market is among the three most important in the Latin American region, pondered its accessibility and how fruitful the negotiations with the state-owned Alimport have been for both parties.
“Our first participation in the fair was only as an association and little by little we have become the umbrella that producers and exporters have used to establish contacts and negotiation channels in Cuba,” he says.
The businesswoman highlights that before the pandemic, in the 2019 edition, five poultry meat exporting companies attended, a figure that has increased to seven on this occasion.
“The objective is to continue growing and the fair continues to open the doors for us to achieve that objective. Alimport has been an extremely important importer in which we have trusted, because despite the complex relations between the two countries, we have found beneficial points of agreement for both parties. We have products that may be of interest to Cuba and we want to explore the possibility of also venturing into the export of eggs,” says Vettorazzi.
Given its links with the national business community, the USAPEEC board of directors also appreciates that there are opportunities from the expansion of the private sector, with the approval of micro, medium and small enterprises (MSMEs) and non-agricultural cooperatives as a banner.
The possibility of establishing relations with non-state entities has also aroused greater interest for Michael González, a Cuban-American who has settled in South Florida for more than two decades, and who is attending this type of meeting for the third time, although now with a greater variety of products in its catalogue.
MZ Products, the company he runs, has as its fundamental business the export of motorcycles and electric bicycles, together with the full range of components and accessories for them, but also household appliances for wide use in the home.
“We have advanced, albeit slowly, looking for a way to become suppliers of this type of product that is highly demanded in the country. That is why we come with many expectations regarding the issues of new MSMEs, because the demand for them can boost our business and we are in a position to satisfy it”, says González.
Although he confesses that he still cannot accurately gauge the scope of a relatively new measure, he sees this opportunity as a success and the will to offer Cubans residing abroad the opportunity to invest or establish businesses in the country. “Until now my origin has not been a difficulty and I hope it will continue to be so, as long as I meet all the requirements and have the necessary licenses to carry out our work.”
“We are already in the conversation phase with a MSME that has the possibility of making retail and wholesale sales. We would be your suppliers and we expect you to work. We know of some of these new ventures that have already been able to import and export with good results,” says González.
Along the same lines, Víctor Moro, vice president of the company Vima, specialized in the commercialization of food and with a presence on the island since 1994, stands out.
“We believe that the more opportunities that can be generated in the form of non-state management, and that make it possible to manage this type of operations, will be very beneficial for the entire economy of the country”, this Spanish businessman opines without hesitation.
Moro considers that having returned to the fair after six years absent is a sign of the importance given to the market segment that Cuba represents, and that allows it to expand to others in the region, such as Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
“We want to continue growing with more presence in the domestic market and also supporting the needs of the tourism sector, but also the entry of these new economic players is a great opportunity for us,” he acknowledges.
It is a fact that Vima’s products are common among the offers of various MSMEs and other types of businesses that use digital platforms for marketing.
“They are a complement to our foray into supermarket chains and allow a greater number of people, especially in more remote places in the capital, to have access to our products. Undoubtedly, they can increase our sales”, considers the businessman.
However, he hopes that at some point they will be allowed to expand their investment in their own storage and transport structures, especially to improve the scope and quality of the frozen products in the catalogue. “The idea is to continue promoting the brand and that’s why we’re here,” he says.
This version of FIHAV has been able to arouse some interest, due in part to some of the measures adopted by the Cuban government to solve the complex economic situation in the country.
The foreign business community has come to the meeting with the desire to measure the scope of this shift towards the implementation of a sector that has been undervalued for decades, which, although it does not appear as a magic solution for the accumulation of structural economic problems, should have a positive impact. to alleviate the crisis.
Since the first MSMEs and non-agricultural cooperatives were approved in September 2021, They have received the green light to operate nearly 6,000 enterprises of this type in a wide range of sectors, although it is valid to clarify that almost half corresponds to the reconversion of businesses that already existed.
For now, FIHAV 2022 serves as a showcase for them, while also facilitating contact with potential partners in future business adventures. It would remain to be seen in the end how many and how they can take advantage of an opportunity like this.
