Ken Gargett Posted February 10, 2009 Posted February 10, 2009 cuba, prepare yourselves. you are about to find out what it is like to be australian and be invaded by kiwis. from the nz herald... Cuban visit to boost trade revolution 4:00AM Wednesday Feb 11, 2009 By Owen Hembry Jose Luis Robaina Garcia says Cubans know little about New Zealand. Photo / Martin Sykes Cuba is synonymous with making cigars but a visit to the communist country by Auckland-based Cuba NZ hopes to identify opportunities for Kiwi companies. Peter Lyashov founded Cuba NZ in October and heads to the Caribbean country tomorrow to meet foreign trade officials. There was a lot of interest from New Zealand companies, including wine growers, Lyashov said. "After conversation with [the Ambassador of Cuba], I get the feeling that to export wine from New Zealand to Cuba is a great opportunity because tourism is there and where there are tourists obviously everybody wants to drink wine," he said. Ambassador of Cuba Jose Luis Robaina Garcia said it was the first such mission. "Not the last but the first," Robaina said. "I think this is a very important move because it's a global [view], it's not one company or one sector, it's global." Lyashov would tell New Zealand companies about the opportunities he had identified in Cuba, which could be in areas such as tourism, oil, gas and biotechnology. In March Cuba will explore for oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico. "So a New Zealand company may have interest in this," Robaina said. New Zealand exported $72.7 million of products to Cuba in 2006, with milk and cream powders accounting for 91.4 per cent and radio equipment 4.7 per cent. Imports from Cuba in the same year were worth $1.3 million, with cigars accounting for 75.2 per cent, coffee 12 per cent, spirits 6.7 per cent and lobster 4.1 per cent. "You have many things we have interests in and maybe when your people know Cuba they can find some possibility of business," Robaina said. "Business in the form of trade, business in the form of joint ventures, business in the form of general product projects." Cuba could act as a gateway into the Caribbean and Latin America, he said. Cuba opened an embassy in Wellington in 2007. "Our people don't know anything about New Zealand, only milk powder and Fonterra. And New Zealand people don't know anything about Cuba except cigar and salsa," Robaina said. "We don't have any historical problem with New Zealand." One country with which Cuba historically does have a problem is the United States, which has held a long-standing embargo against the country. Cuba hoped its relationship with the US might improve under new US President Barack Obama. "American people can visit every country in the world ... except Cuba," Robaina said. "It's very funny because US to Cuba is like Wellington to Auckland." ISLAND IN THE SUN * Cuba Gross Domestic Product US$37.3 billion. * Population estimated at 11.3 million in 2006. * Main exports are nickel, tobacco products, medicine, sugar. * New Zealand exports worth $72.7 million in 2006. * New Zealand imports worth $1.3 million in 2006.
asmith Posted February 11, 2009 Posted February 11, 2009 What the hell are you doing reading a Kiwi newspaper?
Guest rob Posted February 11, 2009 Posted February 11, 2009 I bet the back page of their paper has some excuse for losing 2 games in a row to us...
Ken Gargett Posted February 11, 2009 Author Posted February 11, 2009 What the hell are you doing reading a Kiwi newspaper? it came up on a wine site as it mentioned the interest of winemakers in cuba. lord knows why. and i derive a grea deal of pleasure in reading the newspapers of those countries we have recently vanquished at sport du jour. and there has been precious little of that of late.
sounddust Posted February 11, 2009 Posted February 11, 2009 He certainly looks related to good ol' Don Alejandro.
Punch Joe Posted February 11, 2009 Posted February 11, 2009 One thing i would like to quote: I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANY NZ PRODUCT LET ALONE NZ MILK IN OUR STORES!! EVER. WHO TF DRINKS THE NZ MILK IN CUBA? GO FIGURE!!!
Ken Gargett Posted February 11, 2009 Author Posted February 11, 2009 One thing i would like to quote:I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANY NZ PRODUCT LET ALONE NZ MILK IN OUR STORES!! EVER. WHO TF DRINKS THE NZ MILK IN CUBA? GO FIGURE!!! jose, more to the point. why the hell do you need an ambassadoor to nz?
habanablue Posted February 15, 2009 Posted February 15, 2009 jose, more to the point. why the hell do you need an ambassadoor to nz? C'mon Ken, you of all people should know never to diss a junket!
Ken Gargett Posted February 15, 2009 Author Posted February 15, 2009 C'mon Ken, you of all people should know never to diss a junket! they are only a junket if you are not on them!
habanablue Posted February 15, 2009 Posted February 15, 2009 they are only a junket if you are not on them! Very true!
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