• Submitted by: Juana
• Havana
• international
• Business and Economy
• 10 / 24 / 2016

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The Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, Rodrigo Malmierca, informed today that Cuba will present on November 1st the third upgrade of its business portfolio, which includes a higher number of projects.
In a meeting with the press in Havana, Malmierca specified details on what will happen from October 31 to November 4 at Havana’s International Trade Fair, FIHAV 2016, the 34th edition of which seeks to continue boosting foreign investment and diversify the island’s economic relations to the maximum.  
The also president of the Organizing Committee of the meeting, to take place at the Expocuba showground, pointed out that the renewed portfolio includes new propositions, with presence in all the sectors prioritized by the country for the concretion of business with foreign partners.
According to Malmierca, companies coming from 75 nations have so far confirmed their attendance, a higher figure of participants as compared to the previous edition, a sign of the interest of international entrepreneurs in Cuba and of the rejection of the blockade that the United States imposes on the Island. 
It was known that the coming fair will be the largest in terms of its exhibition area -18,400 square meters, two thousand more than that contracted in 2015.
Orlando Hernández, president of the Chamber of Commerce, pointed out that the Fair will include business meetings, the presentation of projects for the export of national goods and services, lectures, and the first forum on investment, which will be held on November 1 and 2.  
He also said that in the 5,000 square meters of the Central Pavilion of the showground -traditionally reserved for the host country- 125 entities representing 325 Cuban companies will present their goods and services.
Abraham Maciques, general director of the Palco Business Group, highlighted that Ethiopia, Gabon and Tanzania will participate for the first time. (acn)