• Submitted by: manso
• Business and Economy
• 12 / 01 / 2010

---

In a move to tap the potentially largest market in the region, Trinidad & Tobago-based ANSA McAL Ltd. — the largest conglomerate in the Caribbean — sent a sizable delegation to Cuba for five days last week to gauge investments on the island, official business weekly Opciones reported.

The delegation was headed by Chief Operating Officer Ferry Brooks and included the heads of the group’s ABEL Building Solutions, ANSA McAL Chemicals, ANSA Polymer, Caribbean Development Co. Ltd., and Carib Glassworks Ltd., according to Opciones.

Brooks said that ANSA McAL was interested in joint venture investments, exports, imports and intellectual property. Cuban officials offered cooperation in generic drugs and biotechnology, food, construction supplies, and plastic and glass containers.

ANSA McAL, a $790 million (revenue) group based in Port of Spain, owns a bank, investment funds, insurance company, real estate company, newspaper and radio and TV stations, shipping company, breweries, pharmaceutical, liquor and food distributors, construction materials manufacturer, chemicals manufacturer, glass manufacturer, auto dealerships, water engineering company, and more.

Last year, bilateral trade reached barely $40 million, mainly made up of petroleum products from Trinidad. Even so, Trinidad & Tobago is Cuba’s largest trade partner in the Caricom bloc.

Another Trinidad & Tobago-based company, Republic Bank Ltd., is the largest-volume foreign financial institution in Cuba.

Source: www.cubastandard.com/2010/11/30/caribbean-conglomerate-seeking-business-...