Cuba ready to host Havana International Fair 2022

To date, some 60 countries will be present at the 38th edition of the Havana International Fair (Fihav), said Rodrigo Malmierca, Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment.
Malmierca stressed that the event, to be held from 14 to 18 November at the Expocuba fairgrounds, will be attended by top-level delegations headed by ministers and senior government officials.

He also highlighted the presence of representatives of some 30 chambers of commerce from nations with which Cuba has commercial ties, as well as hundreds of companies from the five continents.

The minister explained that in addition to the usual nations such as Spain, Italy, Russia, China, France, Mexico, Brazil and Venezuela, a high-level delegation from the United Arab Emirates will be attending the event for the first time.

This confirms that despite the US blockade, the economic difficulties facing our country and the international economic crisis resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, the world has confidence in the Cuban market, Malmierca emphasised.

Likewise, as part of the official programme of the event, the head of state highlighted the materialisation of the 5th Business Forum dedicated to foreign investment issues.

We are going to present the updated portfolio of business opportunities with foreign capital, he stressed.

Fihav 2022 will also develop panels aimed at providing details about the Mariel Special Development Zone and the benefits of the one-stop foreign investment window, he added.

The minister explained that the event’s agenda will include exchanges with business production centres and agencies and will place special emphasis on foreign investment opportunities for Cubans living abroad.

Our expectations are that Fihav 2022 will contribute to the insertion of the national economy in the international context, and promote direct business between Cuban and foreign companies, Malmierca said.

For his part, the president of the Cuban Chamber of Commerce, Antonio Luis Carricarte, said that the island has 189 participants registered for the event with the presence, for the first time, of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and cooperatives linked in some way to foreign activity.

Priority sectors of economic activity such as food, agriculture, light industry, health linked to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, education, transport and renewable energy will be present, emphasised Carricarte.

Meanwhile, the general director of the Palco Business Group, Eduardo Correa, pointed out that the preparation phase for Fihav 2022 began last July at the Expocuba fairgrounds.