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WORLD NEWS Monday 4 april 2022

Cuba's new private companies show off products at trade fair

By ANDREA RODRÍGUEZ state will remain the domi-
Associated Press nant force in the economy
HAVANA (AP) — The event and the new companies
at a convention center in can't do journalism or of-
Cuba's capital looks like fer key professional services
a lot of trade fairs: Mu- such as architecture, medi-
sic blares as visitors stroll cine or law.
between colorful booths And the business people at
displaying a wild variety the fair said they still face
of products: furniture or bureaucratic hurdles that
clothing, glassware or re- need to be smoothed if
cycled paper, chocolates the system is to work better:
or cleaning products. For example, banking, im-
But it's a commercial mile- port and export red tape is
stone for Cuba: The com- complicated, they said.
panies showing off their The fair closing Sunday at
wares are largely formal, the Expocuba center on
private companies that the southern fringe of Ha-
were legalized only about vana features 720 com-
six months ago — more panies and cooperatives
than a half century after showing off everything
the Communist govern- from yoghurt to construc-
ment banned nearly all pri- tion materials.
vate enterprise. A vintage Russian-made Lada car, right, and an American-made classic car drive past the Capitol Officials hoped the gather-
"We're experiencing some- in Havana, Cuba, Friday, April 1, 2022. Associated Press ing in part would help en-
thing without precedent, trepreneurs make business
at least for our genera- contacts among them-
tion," said César Santos, a economy has continually With the inefficient econo- slammed by shortages, selves, said Suleidis Álvarez,
36-year-old engineer who is struggled to find its foot- my still struggling, the gov- pandemic restrictions and an official with the capital's
a partner in Lucendi SRL, a ing in the decades follow- ernment led by his brother a tightened U.S. embargo Plaza of the Revolution mu-
company that offers elec- ing the loss of heavy Soviet and heir Raul once again — potentially goes far be- nicipality. For example, she
trical installations both for subsidies. It has long tried opened the door to individ- yond: It allows actual com- said, a woodworking com-
private and state clients. to attract foreign investors ual businesses in 2010. On panies that can employ up pany had found a produc-
"We are seeing other busi- and has expanded tourism, the eve of the pandemic, to 100 people, can get for- er of nails it needed.
nesses that we didn't even despite U.S. embargo mea- some 600,000 people were mal financing and do busi- The youth of the partici-
know existed." sures that impede both. But working in that sector on ness with state enterprises. pants was notable on an
Santos was born 18 years productivity in the state-run the island of 11.3 million Within six months, 2,614 island that has suffered the
after the government sector has remained dis- people. new "limited responsibility loss of many young people
closed or took over private mal. They run little restaurants, societies" — or SRLs in Span- through emigration.
businesses in 1968, consoli- Fidel Castro's government rent out rooms, offer repair ish — have registered. And "The migratory crisis we're
dating a Soviet-style social- reluctantly began allowing services, even at least one 2,523 of those are private experiencing currently is
ist system that had been small-scale individual pri- chic clothing boutique — companies, with the rest really sad," Santos said.
forged following the 1959 vate businesses in the early though they supposedly either state or cooperative "Nevertheless, we are see-
revolution led by Fidel Cas- 1990s, then cracked down can employ only family enterprises. Most are in the ing opportunities arising
tro. amid complaints they were members or a handful of Havana area. through this private enter-
Cuba's single-party politi- creating a class of rela- outsiders. So far, they employ about prise (policy). ... I prefer to
cal system has survived the tively rich people under a But the new policy that 42,000 people. bet on building my busi-
1991 collapse of the So- system that prizes equality took effect in September Restrictions remain, howev- ness in the country where I
viet Union, but its socialist over wealth. — while the economy was er. The government says the am."q