During the inauguration of the 41st International Fair of Havana (FIHAV 2025), experienced entrepreneurs in the country expressed their confidence in the Cuban market as a viable long-term investment, while the government announced the imminent introduction of measures to boost and expedite foreign investment.
Eduardo Jiménez Palou, vice president of the joint venture Suchel Camacho S.A., with 35 years of experience on the island, acknowledged the difficulties of operating in a besieged economy but emphasized his company's resilience. “Despite the restrictions, it is a grateful market where it is worth investing. It is a business for all parties,” he stated.
Jiménez Palou detailed that, to overcome problems, they have directed part of their production towards e-commerce, a strategy that “compensates for the lack of financing from some stable markets.” He added that, despite the impact of international crises, they have managed to position their brand of perfumery and cosmetics in other countries.
Looking ahead, the executive pointed out that they will continue developing quality products with a good price-quality ratio and will seek to introduce more items to the national market. “We have confidence that there will be a recovery point, and proof of this is that we continue investing in Cuba,” he declared.
Expressing a similar level of confidence, Nguyen Van Quang, president of the Vietnamese company AgriVMA, expressed satisfaction with rice production in the Pinar del Río municipality of Los Palacios. The entrepreneur stated that, despite the obstacles imposed by the blockade, his company sees Cuba as a market with great potential.
“We will continue betting on Cuba and supporting it in rice production, a basic food for every Cuban,” he commented.
The general director of the Thai Binh corporation, Tran Ngoc Thuan, highlighted nearly three decades of presence in Cuba and said his company continues to invest in the Caribbean country because “we feel the trust, sincerity, and affection of the Cuban people.”
He noted that the corporation is currently executing four projects with a total value exceeding 43 million dollars. “The purpose of the Thai Binh ecosystem is to contribute to food security, offer essential products at affordable prices, and strengthen productive capacities within the country,” he affirmed.
When inaugurating the Fair, the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, announced that on Tuesday during the opening of the VIII Investment Forum, “important Government decisions aimed at promoting business development in Cuba” will be announced.
Pérez-Oliva specified that information will be given on “the implementation of facilities to boost foreign investment, speed up business evaluation and approval processes; and new opportunities in various sectors, both for foreign capital and for the creation of alliances between national entities.”
The Vice Prime Minister described the Fair, which has the participation of 715 companies from 52 countries, including 268 Cuban enterprises, as an “example of courage” on the part of the exhibitors.
FIHAV 2025, inaugurated this Monday at Expocuba with the presence of President Miguel Díaz-Canel, presents this year a renewed focus on key sectors of economic transformation, organizing for the first time its offerings into five thematic areas: Made in Cuba, Energy Transition, AI Cuba, Unique Cuba, and Integration Mechanisms.
