Mirla Diaz, President of the Light Industry Business Group

Havana, February 24 (RHC) Replacing imports and avoiding the expenditure of foreign currency on purchases of items that can be produced in Cuba, is the primary goal of the island's light industry, said authorities of that sector on Tuesday.

The president of the Light Industry Business Group, Mirla Díaz, affirmed that this purpose prioritizes the satisfaction of necessities for the people following the country's financial possibilities, among them hygiene and cleaning products and those that have an impact on the epidemiological matrix.

She added that these are some of the economic sectors of the country that have been very hard hit by the intensification of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States, despite which no production or investment has been stopped, and even though it is not a first-line goal, exports are growing.

Diaz said that investments are directed to activities where they can be recovered more quickly, benefiting a greater national integration and the linkage with other organizations, which has allowed amid the difficult conditions generated by the Covid-19 that none of the industries were stopped and the number of interrupted workers was minimal.

She also highlighted the light industry's response to the Ministry of Health's demands for protective equipment such as face shields, double gowns for the red zone personnel, chemical products, and nose swab for PCR tests.

Since last year, the Light Industry Business Group has been executing 78 projects to expand capacities, improve quality, develop new products, introduce new technologies and win markets both in the Mariel Special Development Zone and abroad.

In this regard, several joint ventures with export strategies stand out, such as Suchel Camacho S.A., which this month will start selling perfumery and cosmetics in Angola, Compacto Caribe S.A., which supplies its cardboard containers to Brazil, and Suchel Proquimia, which is present with hydro-alcoholic products in Spain and the Dominican Republic.

Cuba's light industry is made up of 37 companies, 11 of which are joint ventures with foreign capital distributed throughout the country and employing more than 20,000 workers.