Foreign trade minister on global tour to pitch Mariel Zone

Foreign trade minister on global tour to pitch Mariel Zone



CUBA STANDARD — The foreign trade and investment minister is on a global

tour of Cuba's closest allies to pitch the new Mariel Special

Development Zone to investors.



On Wednesday, Rodrigo Malmierca talked about the advantages of the

Mariel Zone to Russian business executive during a session of a

bilateral commission on trade and investment. While in Moscow, he

announced his next stop of the Mariel tour would be Brazil. On Sept. 25,

Malmierca and Ana Tereza Igarza, director of the new Oficina de la Zona

Especial de Desarrollo Mariel, gave a presentation to Chinese business

executives. Before that, on Sept. 20, Malmierca was in Vietnam to lead a

workshop about Mariel.



Mariel will also be highlighted during the Havana International Fair

Nov. 3-9.



The Mariel Zone is a 180-square mile area around the Bay of Mariel, just

west of Havana, that allows foreign investors reduced-tax and duty-free

operations as well as 100-percent ownership. At the core of the Mariel

Zone is a $900 million container terminal that is currently being built

by Brazil's Grupo Odebrecht SA, with mostly Brazilian funding. The first

phase of the container terminal is slated to begin operations in January

2014.



Meanwhile, an official announced that the government office in charge of

processing applications and administering the Mariel Zone will

officially open Nov. 1. Oscar Pérez, director of evaluations at the new

Oficina, made the announcement at a foreign trade and investment

conference in Havana.



The Oficina is a one-stop government office that is expected to

efficiently handle applications by businesses wanting to locate at

Mariel. The Oficina will report directly to the Council of Ministers.



Source: "Foreign trade minister on global tour to pitch Mariel Zone «

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