Cuban and Canadian Firms Sign Accords

CUBA , 7 November, 2007.- Cuba signed agreements  with representatives of Canadian exporters at the 25th Havana International Trade Fair to purchase 150,000 tons of wheat and 3,500 tons of powdered milk. More than 60 Canadian firms and organizations are present at the annual event.

Pedro Alvarez, president of Cuba 's largest import firm Alimport, said the purchase agreements signed with the Canadian Wheat Board and the Canadian Dairy Commission are an indication of the island's desire to strengthen ties with Canada . He noted that next year Cuba will nearly double its purchases with its fourth leading trade partner.

The Canadian Wheat Board has exported wheat to Cuba since the early 1990s, a relationship its president Greg Aranson said the company wants to continue. Gaetan Paquette, board member of the Canadian Dairy Commission, said the organization is proud to have sold 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 is more than a billion Canadian dollars, above all in the areas of nickel production, energy production from natural gas, and oil exploration and extraction.

The minister added that Canada leads in foreign investments in Cuba . He also noted that it leads in the number of tourists visiting the island with 600,000 a year, 30 percent of the overall visitors.

Canadian Associate Chief Trade Commissioner Robert Dery along with Cuban Minister of Foreign Trade Raul de la Nuez opened the Canadian pavilion at the Havana International Trade Fair, which runs through Saturday, November 10. (Cubaminrex-Granma)