Chronicle on Cuba - April 2006

Economy

April 2: Syrian Minister of Transport Yarub Badr conferred with Ambassadors of Belgium and Cuba in Damascus on means of cooperation between Syria and each of the two countries in different transportation fields. During his meeting with the two ambassadors, each separately, the Minister of Transport discussed ways of activating agreements signed between the two sides as well the possibility of making use of expertise and technology of the other sides. Cooperation prospects include developing railways and modernizing compartments. (SANA, 2/4/06)

April 3: Workplaces across Cuba are characterized by "disorder" and many of their employees can be described as slackers, according to the results of an investigation that appeared in the official daily Granma as part of an anti-corruption drive. The daily wrote that "irregularities in the opening and closing schedules, delays in services and not creating the (proper) conditions before opening an establishment" occur repeatedly at workplaces and the public is suffering "mistreatment stemming from labor indiscipline." Granma said that there are establishments that do not open at the proper hour or that do so but are not ready to begin serving clients or customers. In addition, many workers leave their jobs during the day to do personal tasks and some workplaces interrupt their service to the public to hold meetings and other gatherings. The paper said that last September inspections were performed at 3,500 state-owned workplaces nationwide which found that 76 percent of the sites were "deficient" in their administrative activities. (EFE, 3/4/06)

April 4: Cuba is racing to install thousands of container-sized diesel generators across the island to avoid another situation like the one last summer when widespread blackouts fanned popular unrest. Fidel Castro has taken personal responsibility for what he calls an "energy revolution" prompted by widespread complaints about the failings of Cuba's obsolete power plants. His supporters say the first-of-its-kind energy plan is a stroke of audacious genius. His critics see it as a desperate blunder. The generators are being grouped in clusters and connected to the electrical grid so they can feed the national system or operate independently in all 14 provinces. Around $800 million has been spent so far to import generators, mainly from Spain, Germany and South Korea. Castro has promised to put an end to the frequent outages that Cubans have had to live with since the collapse of Soviet communism plunged their country into economic crisis. He has also vowed to provide every Cuban home with new electrical appliances from China that use less power, from stoves and fans to refrigerators, in many cases replacing inefficient US-made products dating back to the 1950s. (Reuters, 4/4/06)

April 4: The Third Joint Committee Meeting between Malaysia and Cuba will be held in Havana, from April 3-5. The ministerial-level meeting on April 5 will be co-chaired by Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar and Cuban Informatics and Communications Minister Ignacio Gonzalez Planas. The JCM will provide both countries with an opportunity to review the progress in various areas of cooperation, including biotechnology, trade, agriculture, youth and sports exchange programmes, health, medicine, science and technology, education and training. The Malaysian senior officials delegation will be headed by the Foreign Ministry's Secretary-General Rastam Mohamed Isa while the Cuban side will be headed by Raul Torres Perez, Director of Asia, Middle East and Oceania of its Foreign Investment and Economic Collaboration Ministry. ( Thai News Service , 4/4/06)

April 4: Fidel Castro said Cuba has bought from China 100 train engines and more than 7,000 buses for delivery this year, as part of his "energy revolution" to save fuel and improve public transport on the communist island. "One hundred train engines (…) We've also signed contracts for 1,000 20-ton trucks," Castro, 79, said at the Karl Marx Theater, on the anniversary of two communist youth organizations. Castro said more than 7,000 buses would be delivered by China this year, and "thousands of passenger railroad cars are being repaired" for future service in Cuba. (AFP, 5/4/06)

April 5: Cuba narrowed opportunities for foreign investment in 2005, closing down nearly two businesses per week and approving just seven new joint ventures, government sources said. The reduction was part of a general trend toward increased centralization and control of the more than 90 percent state-run economy after a liberalizing period in the 1990s following the demise of former benefactor the Soviet Union. In 2004, the communist-run country shut down four businesses per week and approved less than 10 new joint ventures, but overall the numbers are down in 2005. “There were 258 joint ventures and 115 cooperative production contracts at the close of 2005, compared with 313 and 133 respectively the previous year," said a mid-level official, who had read the Ministry of Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation's annual report. Cuba's most important ventures in telecommunications, nickel, energy, tobacco, beverages, tourism and construction have weathered the increased regulation, while smaller ones in the mechanical, light and food processing industries, for example, have done less well, the sources said. "Spain, Italy and Canada account for more than 50 percent of direct foreign investment, but these days we are prioritizing China and Venezuela," according to a Cuban economist who spoke on condition of anonymity. "All, except one of last year's ventures were signed with China and Venezuela and the trend will continue," she said. (Reuters, 5/4/06)

April 5: Colombia and Cuba are putting aside their ideological differences to negotiate a trade deal. The two countries have agreed to talks aimed at removing trade barriers and extending preferential tariffs, Colombia's government said in a statement. In pursuing a trade deal with Cuba, President Alvaro Uribe, who fashions himself as a dogged free market reformer, seems more concerned about economics than he is about falling in line with Washington's hardline attempts to isolate the communist island. The talks will be similar to free trade talks Colombia recently launched with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. In February, Colombia signed a landmark free trade agreement with the United States. Nonetheless, commercial ties between the two nations are barely in an infant state. The sale of goods and services to Cuba represented just 0.3 percent of Colombia's exports last year and Cuba's share of Colombia's import market was an even more faint 0.03 percent. (AP, 5/4/06)

April 5: A Cuban delegation headed by Deputy Foreign Trade Minister Pedro Luis Padron is in Vietnam to attend the Hanoi 2006 Trade Fair. Padron said that this fair is Vietnam's most important trade event and Cuba's objective is to promote Cuban exports and increase business ties between both countries. "We will be in Vietnam with samples of the most important Cuban companies, mainly in the health sector and although there is a working relationship in this area, we want to explore new alternatives," said the Cuban representative. The Cuban diplomat emphasized that during Expo Hanoi the third session of the Cuba-Vietnam bilateral Business Committee will be held with the objective of increasing commercial contacts. (CAN, 5/4/06)

April 6: A government ban on the transportation of pigs has increased the price of pork in eastern Cuba. The ban was imposed in an attempt to stop the sale of pork in private markets in Camaguey. Since then, the shortage of pork has caused the price to reach a record 25 pesos a pound. Pork is not available at government stores where it is covered by a ration book. (Cubanet, 6/4/06)

April 6: As co-chair of the Third Session of the Intergovernmental Commission for Bilateral Economic and Scientific-Technical Collaboration, taking place in Havana, Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Suyed Hamid Albar noted that cooperation between Malaysia and Cuba has increased to satisfactory levels, especially in the spheres of biotechnology and computer sciences. In this regard, he noted that arrangements are underway for the creation of a joint company to provide computer services, and that there has been a boost in the ties between Malaysian universities and the University of Computer Sciences in Havana. New possibilities of cooperation were also identified in the areas of trade, biotechnology, finances, investments, sports, culture, technology, oil, gas and transportation, among others, said the Malaysian foreign minister. (Granma, 7/4/06)

April 8: Cuba's Minister Without Portfolio Ricardo Cabrisas and Minister of Transportation Carlos Manuel Pazo in separate meetings with Iran's Ambassador to Cuba Ahmad Edrisian in Havana called for expansion of bilateral ties. As the Head of the Iran-Cuba Economic Commission, Cabrisas reviewed joint achievements in the domain of trade and economy and stressed that his country is determined to bolster its economic exchanges with Iran. He hoped that given the recent visit of Majlis Speaker, Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel to Havana and those of numerous Cuban delegations to Iran in the current year, the next joint commission meeting will be more fruitful. For his part, Pazo, who is just back from his recent visit to Tehran, expressed satisfaction with the result of his trip and the growing trend of mutual ties. (IRNA, 8/4/06)

April 8: Cuba will supply several types of vaccines to Vietnam for the immunization of its population, following a contract the two countries signed in the framework of the 16th Vietnam International Fair -EXPO 2006. The agreement was signed by the vice chairwoman of the Hanoi Pharmaceutical Company (Hapharco), Nguyen Thi Minh Tu, and the Asian sales manager of Cuba’s Heber Biotec S.A., Mai Thao. It includes the supply of anti-hepatitis B vaccines, and the new synthetic vaccine against the Haemophilus influenzae type B, which is known to cause a sort of meningitis, and other diseases. (Granma, 8/4/06)

April 9: They sink their boats in the shallows by night, hiding them in watery nooks to evade authorities. By day, the shrimp fishermen lean inside shady doorframes, wiggling their index fingers as cars pass -- a signal that discreetly advertises their illegal catch. "If they caught me hunting shrimp, they'd leave me like a chicken without feathers," said the fidgety fisherman who asked not to be identified. It is against the law to sell shrimp privately in communist Cuba, and he risks steep fines if detected. Fishermen like him are among those feeling the deepest pain from an ongoing government campaign to tighten the screws on the Cuban economy. Tagged "recentralization," the move began in 2003, clamping down on private enterprise and the black market, and raising state salaries and pension payments. Castro contends the economic clampdown will refresh socialist ideals, punish pilferers and combat US trade sanctions. Detractors say the program is meant to bring every aspect of Cuban life under government control, battening the hatches ahead of an eventual leadership change. What's clear is that hardship remains. Economic snapshots from different walks of life suggest that most Cubans struggle to make ends meet despite government pay hikes, while the island's small entrepreneurial sector feels the reforms snapping at its heels. (Sun Sentinel, 9/4/06)

April 10: With Fidel Castro looking on, Cuban officials signed contracts for the purchase of five new Russian passenger planes to replace Soviet-era aircraft. The contracts were for two long-haul, wide-bodied Ilyushin Il-96-300s and three medium-range Tupolev Tu-204s, one of them configured for air freight, state-run Cuba media said. Cuba did not divulge the cost of the planes to be delivered in 2006-2007 by Ilyushin Finance Co., a Russian leasing company. Russian news agency Itar-Tass said the five aircraft cost $250 million and that Cuba will make a 15 percent down payment, with three Russian banks financing the rest with a 12-year loan guaranteed by the Russian and Cuban governments. Cuba has already purchased two Il-96s for an estimated $110 million to overhaul the fleet of its flag carrier Cubana de Aviacion, which is still flying 30-year old Il-62s. In March, Cubana received the second Il-96 furnished with a VIP cabin for use by Castro for travel abroad that can be reconfigured for commercial flights, Russian diplomats said. (Reuters, 10/4/06)

April 10: Russia and Cuba considered new projects in the transport industry. Fidel Castro is interested in the development of bilateral trade ties, said the head of the Federal Agency for Industry Boris Alyoshin who headed a Russian delegation in Cuba. At a meeting with the Russian delegation Castro spoke about the plans to develop the transport network in Cuba. He noted that Cuba may purchase Russian buses, trucks and trains, Alyoshin emphasized. During the meeting the sides reached agreement that the delegation of the Cuban transport ministry will arrive in Moscow soon. This delegation will consider the possibilities of concluding commercial contracts on supplies of the Russian machinery in the Caribbean country. According to Alyoshin, some offers in the energy industry were also discussed. (ITAR-TASS, 11/4/06)

April 10: Friendly ties between Fidel Castro's Cuba and Hugo Chavez' Venezuela are now much more than political, opening the way to a burgeoning trade relationship estimated to reach more than $3.5 billion (euro2.9 billion) this year -- about 50 percent richer than in 2005. The favorable balance converted Cuba last year into Venezuela's third most important trade partner, after the United States and Colombia. The bulk of trade comes from the 90,000 barrels of crude petroleum that oil-producing Venezuela sends to the communist-run island daily, but the South American nation also has increased non-petroleum exports to Cuba in recent months, selling products from construction supplies to chocolate. “The potential grows every day," Adan Chavez, Venezuela's ambassador to Cuba and Hugo Chavez's older brother, told the press in an interview. Among private Venezuelan companies that now have a presence in Cuba is Lamigal, the country’s No. 1 manufacturer of galvanized steel sheeting for construction. As for other Venezuelan goods, the president of the government's Industrial Bank of Venezuela, Luis Quiaro, said his country is already exporting a wide variety of products to Cuba, including workers' uniforms, boots, construction materials, and food products such as chocolate, tomato sauce, canned sardines, gelatin, fruit jams and juices. (AP, 10/4/06)

April 11: Cuban water engineers are set to visit South Africa to learn how this country and its partners build and manage big dam projects, the Department of Water Affairs announced. It said the fact-finding mission, to take place in the next few months, followed a visit to Cuba by Water Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica. Cuba has also said that as they have a need to build new concrete dams, they are interested in some of the projects... (for example) the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. Their interest is to see how such big projects work, and to further understand the concepts behind such projects. “Cuba will send a fact-finding mission over to South Africa within the next few months," the department said. (SAPA, 11/4/06)

April 11: Venezuela and Cuba will invest $800 million to $1 billion to start up an unfinished Soviet-era refinery on the island, the Venezuelan ambassador to Cuba, Adan Chavez, said. “The aim is to completely reactivate the Cienfuegos refinery," the envoy, an older brother of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, said at a news conference. The initial investment will be approximately between $800 million and $1 billion in shared costs, he said. Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA formed a joint venture with Cuba to revamp the unused refinery on the shore of Cienfuegos Bay in south-central Cuba, and signed an agreement guaranteeing Venezuelan feedstock of 70,000 barrels per day. (AFP, Houston Chronicle, 11/4/06)

April 11: The Export Development Bank of Iran (EDBI) will finance the development of two industrial projects in Cuba, Iran’s ILNA news agency said. In its bid to export technical and engineering services abroad, EDBI will finance water treatment projects and the building of water pumping stations in the Latin American country, the managing director of the bank said. The bank has undertaken to finance 85 percent of the 4.5-billion euro contracts, the director added. The funds are scheduled to be repaid in ten consecutive installments and in a five-year period, he explained. The Export Development Bank of Iran is also planning to, in the near future, finance the export of train carriages to the Caribbean state. (IRNA, 12/4/06)

April 13: Cuba is seeking direct foreign investment in sugar milling and cultivation for the first time since nationalizing the industry soon after the 1959 revolution, Cuban and foreign sources said. At least three companies, all with long-term business experience in Cuba, have made proposals to invest in and administer mills and adjoining cane plantations, though the companies wish to remain anonymous as negotiations proceed. "They told us they were given the green light at the highest level to discuss milling and cultivation," a potential investor said. The sources cautioned that hard bargaining lies ahead before the first milling venture could be signed. "There are many issues still to be resolved. Investors want to administer the mills, higher percentages of shares and pay sugar farmers and workers more," a Cuban sugar expert said. Theoretically, the state-run sugar industry has been open to direct investment for a decade, but in practice there has been no interest up to now on the government's part except in a few derivatives and mechanical ventures, the sources said. Cuba shut down and dismantled 71 of 156 mills in 2003 when raw sugar prices were around $.05 per lb, and relegated 60 percent of plantations to other uses. Last year's disastrous 1.3 million tonne harvest, the lowest in a century, led to more closings, with just 42 mills opened this year, though shut mills were conserved. But sugar prices have more than tripled since 2003 as high oil prices have led to increased interest in sugar-based ethanol as an alternative fuel for motorized vehicles. (Reuters, 13/4/06)

April 15: In Cuba, windmills have spread rapidly over the past century, mainly in the central province of Camaguey and in the eastern portion of the island. It has been estimated that currently there are 7,000 windmills operating across the island, used mostly to pump water for cattle and agriculture activities. Their efficient use has special importance today, considering that experts estimate that a single windmill used for pumping water can save a half ton of diesel fuel annually. But power generation capacity through the transformation of wind power into electricity has not yet been fully exploited on the island. Currently Cuba is promoting the use of windmills for that purpose. In this respect, studies to measure the intensity and frequencies of the winds that blow over different parts of the island are being finalized. (Periódico 26, 15/4/06)

April 17: Cuba is able to start exporting hydrocarbons to the Caribbean countries, under the agreement for the establishment of a joint oil refining company PDV-Cupet SA with Venezuela's state-owned oil giant Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), the Venezuelan press reported on April 17, 2006. Cuba's state-owned monopoly Cuba Petroleo and PDVSA established at the beginning of April 2006 PDV-Cupet S.A. in which Cuba holds the majority stake. The project will revive Cuba's refinery Cienfuegos which was paralysed in 1991. PDV-Cupet will receive some 150,000 barrels of crude oil per day (bpd). The company has the opportunity to export fuels mainly to the Caribbean countries. The agreement for the establishment of PDV-Cupet SA was signed by Fidel Castro and Venezuelan Energy and Petroleum Minister and PDVSA President, Rafael Ramirez. (Latin America News Digest , 17/4/06)

April 17: Venezuela's plans to refurbish an idled Soviet-era refinery in Cuba represent a lost investment for this oil-rich South American nation, a former president of the state-run oil company said. The Cuban government and state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA, or PDVSA, announced an agreement for PDVSA to invest US$83 million (euro69 million) to rehabilitate the facility in the southern coastal city of Cienfuegos to refine, store and distribute crude oil. But former PDVSA president Guaicaipuro Lameda criticized the deal, saying the refinery is too old to run profitably and too many of its Russian-made parts would have to be replaced. "Making an investment to make that refinery function doesn't permit recovering the investment," said Lameda, who resigned in 2002 and quickly became one of the government's most outspoken critics. Lameda accused Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez of investing in the aging refinery as a means of giving economic support to his close ally, Fidel Castro. (AP, 17/4/06)

April 17: Cuba and India make a powerful force leading world biotechnology, asserted P.Chidambaram, finance minister of the Asian nation, during the opening of a modern institution for the production of humanized monoclonal antibodies h-R3. The official highlighted the importance of both nations´s integration in the biotechnological field strengthened by the creation of the joint enterprise Biocon Biopharmaceutical, in charge of producing and commercializing the product. Doctors Agustin Lage, director of the Cuban Center of Molecular Immunology and Kiran Mazumder, Biocon president, chaired the opening ceremony. (Prensa Latina, 17/4/06)

April 18: The 10th Session of the Cuba-Zambia Joint Commission for the Economic, Technical and Scientific Collaboration will kick off in Havana, to review bilateral cooperation in health and other sectors. According to a note from the Cuban Ministry for Foreign Investment and Economic Collaboration, the meeting will be presided over by the island's Minister Marta Lomas and Zambian Finance and Planning Minister Peter Ngandu Magande. (Prensa Latina, 18/4/06)

April 18: Cuba, among the world's largest nickel and cobalt producers, has launched a program with Canadian mining firm Sherritt International Corp. (TSX:S) to increase output by about half to 49,000 tonnes annually, state media said. The government's Cubaniquel and Sherritt are now in the "construction phase" of their expanded production program at the Moa mining facility in the eastern province of Holguin, the Communist Party newspaper Granma reported. The daily quoted Cuban Basic Industries Minister Yadira Garcia as saying that the expanded production program was "the toughest goal the Canadians and the Cubans have faced" in the mining program. According to Cuban figures released when the plan was announced a year ago, the expansion will increase nickel and cobalt production at the plant by around 50 per cent, from about 35,000 tonnes in 2004. Nickel is needed to produce stainless steel and cobalt is used for creating alloys necessary for jet engines and in high technology components. The $450-million-US expansion project had been announced in Havana, in March 2005, by Fidel Castro and Sherritt International President Ian Delaney. Among Cuban attendees to the ceremony were ministers Yadira Garcia (Basic Industry); Marta Lomas (Foreign Investment); Raul de la Nuez (Foreign Trade) and Fidel Figueroa (Construction) as well as local authorities and the nickel industry officials. The Canadian mission was led by Ian Delaney, chair of Sherritt International Board of Directors, Jowdat Waheed, its main manager, and other leaders of the company. (Prensa Latina, AP, Canadian Press, 18/4/06)

April 19: The state corporation Oils of Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) expects to cut the shipments of crude oil to Cuba when the Cuban refinery of Cienfuegos starts operating, said the president of the company and minister of Energy, Rafael Ramírez. Ramírez supported PDVSA’s decision to take part in the reopening of the Cienfuegos refinery pointing out that a study by an international company revealed that an investment of $83 million dollars by the Venezuelan government in the Cuban plant would yield a return of 28 %. (AP, 20/4/06)

April 19: President-elect, René Préval, announced Haiti will join Petrocaribe and will accept Cuba’s help to confront the energy crisis in his country. ''During our meetings in Havana, we discussed this matter with the Venezuelan ambassador to Havana, Adán Chávez, who is Hugo Chavez’ brother”, Preval said. He also announced that, “Cuban technicians will be sent to Haiti to help us with the lack of electric power”, he added. (El Universal, 19/4/06)

April 21: Cuba is becoming increasingly costly and less profitable for foreign tour operators, some of whom are canceling trips to the island nation and taking people to other Caribbean resorts, industry sources said. They said Cuba and tourism companies are increasingly at odds, with the government seeking a greater share of shrinking profits even as the arrival of new visitors stagnate. "Tour operators are canceling bookings and flights," a European hotel manager said. "They are making their money from places like the Dominican Republic and Mexico, but nothing from Cuba." The Canadian Association of Tour Operators recently complained to the Cuban Ministry of Tourism about the lack of adequate service for tourists, theft at airports and hotels, and jet fuel costing 33 percent more than elsewhere. "Rates have become completely uncompetitive with other tourist destinations in the Caribbean," the association said in the letter sent in January and obtained by the press. (Reuters, 21/4/06)

April 22: The Iran-Cuba Joint Economic Commission concluded its 11th session in Tehran. The Cuban delegation was headed by Minister of State Ricardo Cabrisas, while the Iranian delegation was headed by Minister of Agriculture Jihad Mohammad Reza Eskandari. Iran's deputy ministers of industries and roads and transportation as well as several of its economic and trade officials and the Cuban ambassador to Tehran also participated in the meeting. During the meeting, the heads of the two delegations announced that the two sides held identical views on the need to expand their political and economic cooperation at the international level. (Asia Pulse, 24/4/06)

April 23: Despite the severe drought that affected Cuba’s eastern province of Las Tunas over the past year, local beekeepers have turned out 89,000 tons of honey so far this year. The adverse weather conditions forced the producers to move their apiaries to the province’s northern coastal region, where nectar-rich flowers are abundant. According to Yurisander Rodriguez Acosta, chief of production at the Las Tunas Apiculture Company, the beekeepers are very optimistic with these results. Following the creation of the company in 1977, it recorded its best results in 1983 with an overall production of 363 tons of honey and wax. On the other hand, 2004 was the most critical year because of a lack of rainfall. (Periódico 26, 23/4/06)

April 24: Contracts totaling $12 million were signed during a visit of Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky to Havana between April 20 and 23, Prensa Latina reported. The visit also resulted in agreements on cooperation in transport, air service, politics, legal matters, information exchange and municipal services, as well as on the supply of powdered milk and beans to Cuba. The two countries are expected to sign several agreements on cooperation in non-traditional trade areas, Prensa Latina said. Annual trade between Belarus and Cuba currently amounts to $19 million, according to Cuba's official statisticians. To date, the countries have 17 agreements in the trade, economic, healthcare, product certification and consular spheres. During talks in Cuba, Mr. Sidorsky noted that Belarus could supply tractors, mining equipment and fertilizers to the island and buy refined sugar from it. As far as Cuban sugar is concerned, Cuba is experiencing sugar production difficulties at the moment. Due to the latter fact the sides agreed this year Belarus will buy 100,000 tons of raw sugar. It will be processed at Belarusian companies and sent back to Cuba. (AP, Belta, 24/4/06)

April 24: Cubans who made a better-than-average living selling crafts to foreign tourists at stalls along Havana’s famed Malecon seaside boulevard are wondering about their future after being obliged by the government to pack up and move to a more out-of-the-way building. For years, tourists and other seekers of craft goods have visited the most popular markets in Havana, most of which are located in areas frequented by foreign visitors, such as Old Havana, the area around the cathedral and the Malecon in the El Vedado neighborhood. Cuban authorities, however, moved the vendors from the Malecon to an old department store in downtown Havana, putting them in one of the most populous neighborhoods of the Cuban capital. A cooperative of 193 self-employed workers, who pay for state licenses to sell their crafts, is trying to adapt to the new space provided by the Domestic Trade Ministry, but the drastic drop in sales has created uncertainty about their futures. "Our sales have been affected tremendously," Vicente Portilla, who sells figurines and wooden items, said, adding that what was needed was "a marketing campaign so that tourists know that we are here." "I haven't sold anything today. At the market, on a day like today, I would have already sold 15, 20 or more convertible pesos," Portilla said. One convertible peso is equal to $1.08US. (EFE, 25/4/06)

April 25: After having already collected some 600 poles strung with tobacco leaves, the growers in eastern Las Tunas province continue to keep up a good pace towards achieving a record production this year. That figure represents two thirds of their target for the current harvest, which is due to conclude by the end of May. The healthy condition of the leaves indicates that it should be possible to achieve that goal. Speaking to the press, Norge Rodriguez, director of the Tobacco Company in Las Tunas, highlighted that this improvement is being made despite the severe drought that has been affecting this region for more than six years now. Las Tunas has the lowest average rainfall in all Cuba, with barely 100 millimeters per year. (Periódico 26, 25/4/06)

April 25: Jamaica will receive a shipment of cement from Cuba to help ease a shortage that is slowing down renovations to a stadium hosting matches for the 2007 cricket World Cup, an official said. The 20,000 metric tons (22,046 tons) of cement will arrive from Havana, said Colin Campbell, the information minister. It's not clear how much Jamaica is paying for it. Jamaica began negotiating with Cuba to supply cement after the main local producer, Caribbean Cement Company Limited, temporarily suspended production in March following claims of substandard product. (AP, 25/4/06)

April 25: Following the launch of the People's Trade Agreement (PTA) on April 29 in Havana, coca leaves grown in Chapare and the Yungas will be exported to Venezuela and Cuba, President Evo Morales announced in Cochabamba. At the closing ceremony of a departmental party conference, Morales said that the agreement, which replaces the free trade agreement (FTA), would allow these three countries, initially, to enter into a commercial arrangement. He said that following the PTA's entry into force, all Bolivian products will enter Venezuela and Cuba on a "zero tariff", which is considered positive given the impact it will have on the national economy. (El Diario, 26/4/06)

April 26: Iran will be exporting 500 freight and passenger wagons to Cuba valued at $135m, Cuban deputy minister of transportation noted in Tehran. The news came during Roberto Ricardo Mauro’s visit to Pars Wagon Company in Arak, 250 km southwest of Tehran, after signing the purchase contract for 500 wagons at Iran-Cuba Joint Meeting. “Rail business plays a central role in Cuba’s transportation policy and delivery time of the rail cars is crucial to us,” deputy minister announced. Furthermore, executive director of Pars emphasized on ‘quality job’ and ‘design innovation’ as two inseparable drives of the company, adding that the wagons will be delivered by 2007. (MNA, 26/4/06)

April 26: Iran and Cuba have signed an agreement wherein the Islamic republic will help Havana modernize its oil industry. The deal, signed by Iran's Agricultural Jihad Minister Mohammad Eskandari and Cuba State Minister Ricardo Cabrisas, in Tehran, came as part of an economic cooperation agreement at the end of Iran-Cuba joint 11th Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation Commission. Among other things, the two sides agreed to cooperate in building and modernizing refineries and in oil exploration activities. Cabrisas called the meeting a "success." (UPI, 26/4/06)

April 26: President Hugo Chavez said Venezuela will shortly begin shipping fuel to Nicaragua in his government's latest preferential oil pact as it uses its vast resources to expand its influence in the region. A group of 51 Nicaraguan mayors, many from the leftist Sandinista party including presidential candidate Daniel Ortega, met with Chavez at the presidential palace as the terms of the accord were announced to supply 10 million barrels a year of fuel to their communities. "A boat will arrive soon. There are alternatives,'' Chavez told the group, characterizing the deal as part of a budding effort to expand a Venezuela-Cuba pact for trade and social programs, known as ALBA. (AP, 26/4/06)