International agribusiness fair begins in Cuba

China was among 10 countries in attendance on Monday as the 16th International Agroindustrial Food Fair started Monday in Havana. The seven-day Fiagrop 2013 features growers, breeders, entrepreneurs, suppliers, veterinarians and other industry representatives from China, Germany, Canada, Spain, Venezuela and other nations. Among the exhibitors is Jiang Su Hongze, a company founded in 1999 in Nanjing, China, that specializes in pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and other products. Other firms included Mexico's VETMEX, Panama's Empacadora de Pias, Germany's Bayer and Luibing, Spain's SL Gonio/Onduladze and Grupo UGAO, and Cuban companies TabaCuba and Tecnoazucar. The fair aims to help Cuba boost its food output and reduce its reliance on imports, organizer Adolfo Aroche said. Cuba imports about 80 percent of its food at a cost of about 2 billion U.S. dollars a year. Yadira Ramirez, event director for the Agricultural Trade Company of the Ministry of Agriculture, said that for the first time, the Chamber of Commerce of Cuba was promoting business rounds among participants. Monday's fair agenda included conferences on biosecurity and new diseases threatening poultry. Some 50 Cuban and foreign companies are on hand in four pavilions to showcase their equipment and technology.