Cuba wants Bulgarian foods back on its market

“Cuba wants to start re-importing Bulgarian food products as well as to develop joint ventures in the field of food industry,” said Cuban Minister of Food Industries María del Carmen Concepción González, speaking at a meeting with Bulgarian Minister of Economy Bozhidar Lukarski and a delegation he led to the capital Havana.

The portfolio of business opportunities Cuba offers in this field was presented at the meeting, the press centre of the Ministry of Economy announced.

María del Carmen Concepción González noted foreign joint ventures were already coming to the country. The Cuban minister provided an example of a company involved in the distribution of Cuban rum.

Cuba already has 11 similar projects and 14 new ones have been worked out in food production, such as the production of dairy and milk products, coffee, the mill products industry, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, and canned foods.

Minister Lukarski outlined the possibility of restarting the production of Bulgarian yoghurt for the Cuban market on the part of the LB Bulgaricum, which is owned by the Ministry of Economy. Its Executive Director Slavi Angelov launched talks on this with representatives of Cuban contractors.

María del Carmen Concepción González spoke in favour of the increasing of imports of Cuban rum, cigars, coffee, and other products into Bulgaria.

According to her, joint ventures could be established for distribution of Cuban goods.

Ms Concepción González invited Bulgarian firms in the sector to take part in a foods fair in Cuba next July.
Marieta Zaharieva, Executive Director of the Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (BSMEPA), committed to organising a delegation of Bulgarian SMEs to come to Cuba with concrete projects.