In statements to Prensa Latina, he commented that the second business delegation coordinated by the IETO -currently on the island- continues the work initiated a few months ago to renew commercial ties between the two nations.

We had a first mission four months ago and we hope to bring a third one in November, during the Havana International Fair, to bring into fruition projects in specific fields, he said.

About the current visit, he valued the usefulness of the meeting held with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the meetings this Friday at the ministries of Agriculture, Health and Food Industry.

Iqbal highlighted the interest of many Indian manufacturers, which integrate small and medium private enterprises (SMEs), to enter Cuba in sectors such as complete processing and manufacturing.

They make batches of finished products and want to boost exports of rice, spices and other foodstuffs, as well as electronic items, he said.

According to the IETO president, they are interested in manufacturing the products on the island, “we want to do the food processing here, so as not to import products from abroad”.

The main objective is to identify ways to bring the people of both countries closer through SMEs: ‘the person to person connection is important for companies to grow and create local employment for Cubans’.

As part of the visit, the Cuba-India section of the Caribbean Chamber of Commerce was set up to contribute to the strengthening of economic ties, the development of foreign trade and the promotion of foreign investment. mh/mgt/att.