HAVANA : A total of eight companies have been authorized to operate in Cuba’s Mariel Special Development Zone (ZEDM). Of these, five are entirely foreign corporations (two Mexican, two Belgian and one Spanish), one is a joint venture, one a Cuban-owned enterprise and one is a Cuban company with foreign management.
According to recent reports, the ZEDM Office is still evaluating the documents of companies that have submitted an application to operate in the zone. These include firms from the chemical industry, logistics and construction sectors.
The company was the first to operate in the ZEDM after the opening of the Terminal on January 27, 2014.
General manager Charles Baker explained that, during the first months of operations, the company’s work consisted of relocating all maritime services to the terminal from the Havana Bay port. “This year, we hope to close with a record of approximately 310,000 containers, more than double the volume we handled at the terminal in 2014.”
Baker said he was satisfied with the interest shown by international shipping companies in bringing larger vessels to the terminal and including it on their maritime routes. “The facilities are very good if we compare them with terminals in the region and others managed by our company in other countries,” he stated. PSA International is the company managing the largest number of ports and container terminals worldwide.
This company will manufacture pork, beef and poultry processed meats. President Luis Alberto Gonzalez recalled that the company first approached Cuba 15 years ago and, sometime later, they became the suppliers of several Cuban entities.
Initially, production will employ raw materials imported from Mexico. The production plant will cover an area between 2,500 and 3,000 square meters and produce around a thousand tons of processed meats every month, though they will begin producing 300 tons and gradually increase this volume.
The company will employ from 25 to 45 Cuban workers and only two or three Richmeat de Mexico technicians.
This subsidiary of the Spanish company Hotelsa Alimentacion manufactures food and beverages for the tourism industry. In fact, Hotelsa has been a supplier of Cuba’s tourism sector for 23 years. “During this time, we’ve realized that some of our product lines could be far more competitive if we were to manufacture them here,” said Antonio Vicens, manager of Profood Service.
The executive announced they are thinking of using Cuban raw materials such as sugar, glucose, molasses and spirits. Currently, the company is negotiating purchase agreements with Cuban entities such as Tecnoazucar and Citricos Caribe, to include their supplies in their portfolio. Some Profood Service products may be destined to retailers, in addition to exports to nearby markets.
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