Cuba-August-Flipbook

J A R D I N E S A G G R E S S O R I & I I L I V E A B O A R D S
The government says it will continue issuing
permits once “self-employed work is
perfected,” which may include measures
to curb tax evasion and the accumulation
of private wealth.
One of Venezuela’s few remaining friends
The Cuban government accused Washington
of orchestrating an international operation
to delegitimize a Venezuelan election
that created a new legislative superbody
that answers to President Nicolás Maduro.
Countries across the Americas and Europe
denounced the July 30 election, which gives
Maduro power to rewrite the constitution.
Business as usual for another six months
The Trump administration suspended
a provision of the trade embargo that
lets Americans use U.S. courts to sue
non-American companies that use land
and property stolen during the Cuban Revolution.
That provision of the Helms-Burton
Act must be repeatedly suspended every
six months.
On track for a record year in tourism
Cuban Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero
Cruz said he projects tourist arrivals
in Cuba to reach 4.7 million in 2017—up
from just over 4 million tourists in 2016.
Marrero said about 2.7 million tourists visited
Cuba in the first half of this year, producing
more than $1.5 billion in tourism
revenue. Factors influencing the increase
are the recovery of the Canadian market,
loosened U.S. travel restrictions, and increased
flights from Europe.
Oil woes continue
Venezuelan oil and fuel deliveries to Cuba
have decreased by almost 13 percent in the
first half of this year, according to documents
belonging to Venezuela’s state-run oil monopoly
that were viewed by Reuters. Cuba
has responded to declining oil deliveries by
12 CUBATRADE AUGUST 2017
rationing energy and seeking higher-priced
oil from other producers, including Russia.
Minnesota presses on
Minnesota will continue its efforts to sell
food to Cuba despite Trump announcing
tighter restrictions on trade with the island,
Lt. Gov. Tina Smith told Reuters. The
comments came shortly after Smith visited
the island with a business delegation. The
state sees food sales to Cuba as a prime opportunity
to bolster its agricultural sector
during a period of low crop prices.
Housing shortage
At the end of 2016, Cuba recorded a deficit
of more than 880,000 homes needed to
adequately house its population of 11 million
inhabitants. There are about 3.8 million
homes across the island. Deteriorated
buildings, depleted housing funds, and
overpopulation in urban areas are among
the main causes of the housing shortage,
said a Construction Ministry official.
Entrepreneurs go to Washington
A group of eight Cuban entrepreneurs sent
a letter to the Trump administration urging
it to support policies that strengthen the
country’s burgeoning private sector. The
letter’s policy recommendations include
continuing individual people-to-people
travel, not limiting remittances, and loosening
restrictions on Cubans using bank
accounts in the U.S.
Mining outlook
Cuba intends to produce nearly 55,000
tons of nickel and cobalt sulfides this year,
according to state media. That’s a slight
drop from last year. Cuba is ranked 10th in
the world in nickel production and sixth in
cobalt, but declining global prices and productivity
have slowed the country’s output
in recent years. A new $278 million lead
and zinc mine in northwestern Cuba is
scheduled to open in October. It’s expected
to produce 100,000 tons of zinc concentrate
and 50,000 tons of lead concentrate
annually, executives at the Swiss-Cuban
joint venture told Reuters.
The return of the love shack
The Cuban government announced it will
allow the reopening of some hourly hotels
aimed at helping lovers in an overcrowded
housing market find intimacy. The hotels
were shut down and used as hurricane
shelters in the ‘90s when the Cuban economy
came to a standstill.
Southwest cuts back
Southwest will end its Fort Lauderdale
flights to Santa Clara and Varadero on
Sept. 4. It will not, however, stop flying to
Havana. The airline will continue its twice
daily service from Fort Lauderdale and daily
service from Tampa. The airline applied
with the Department of Transportation for
an additional daily round trip between Fort
Lauderdale and Havana.
Calling Euro interference
The Cuban government applauded the European
Parliament for voting in favor of its
first-ever trade agreement with the island.
However, Cuban officials expressed their
concern over a non-binding clause encouraging
Cuba to improve its human rights and
make steps toward democracy. It called the
resolution meddlesome and unnecessary, saying
it hurt the principles of mutual respect
contained in the rest of the document. H
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