Cuba signs food import deals with Canadian firms
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| Published on Thursday, November 8, 2007 |
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HAVANA, Cuba (ACN): Cuba signed agreements Wednesday with two Canadian companies at the 25th Havana International Trade Fair to purchase 150,000 tons of wheat and 3,500 tons of powdered milk.
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| Pedro Alvarez, head of the state importing monopoly Alimport. AFP PHOTO |
Pedro Alvarez, president of Cuba's largest importer Alimport, said the purchase agreements signed with the Canadian Wheat Board and the Canadian Dairy Commission confirm the island's willingness to continue developing trade relations with Canada. He noted that next year Cuba will nearly double its purchases with its fourth leading trade partner.
The Canadian Wheat Board has been exporting wheat to Cuba since the early 1990s and deals are expected to grow, as remarked by the company's president Greg Aranson.
Meanwhile, Gaetan Paquette, board member of the Canadian Dairy Commission, said the organisation is proud to have been selling powdered milk to Cuba for more than 25 years despite the US blockade.
Cuban Minister of Tourism Manuel Marrero noted that the overall annual exchange between the two countries exceeds one billion Canadian dollars, particularly in the areas of nickel production, natural gas-based energy production, and oil exploration and extraction.
Marrero added that Canada is the major foreign investor in Cuba, and at the same time it is the first tourism market for the island with with 600,000 visitors traveling to Cuba every year. This figure represents 30 percent of all tourists annually entering the island.
Canadian Associate Chief Trade Commissioner Robert Dery along with Cuban Minister of Foreign Trade Raul de la Nuez opened the Canadian pavilion at Havana's 25th International Trade Fair. More than 60 Canadian firms and organizations are present at the annual event, running through Saturday, November 10. | | | | Reads : 276 | | | |
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