The Industry and Commerce Fair has set an important tone in the signing of agreements and launching of local products with export potential.

Las Tunas, Cuba - Foreign Trade Institute professor Yamil Arcia Márquez arrived at this space of opportunities to share with exhibitors and authorities about trade in Cuba and the issues that must be eliminated to achieve the take-off of exports.

"In the meeting between Cuba and the European Union that concluded last year, the way was defined for many workers to go through the Diploma in Foreign Trade, which provided the certification for that unit to exist in the universities of each territory -explains the expert. Already with these spaces created, the Foreign Trade departments and the companies are obtaining the concession of faculties in this respect and can internationalize the offers of each territory."

The universities, together with the Center for Foreign Trade and Investment Promotion (ProCuba) and the Chamber of Commerce, advocating that this program should start in 2023, led by the Foreign Trade departments of the province, the universities, and the companies with concessions.

All the economic actors of the territory must know that to export it is necessary to show the origin and the history of what we want to internationalize as an offer," said Arcia Márquez. We have gained in that experience, Las Tunas already has the Agroint brands and they with Satio and Marabex give the possibility to this eastern land to internationalize the offer of those who decide to participate and that, of course, obeys all the studies made in the export map of the province and with which they have no less than eight products for those purposes, effort in which there are more than a thousand producers involved here."

The specialist pointed out that a significant element is preparation. "The process is arduous, he said, and a determining role is played by economic contracting, something we are not used to in the territories. Today in the Balcón de Oriente (Eastern Cuban Balcony) important work is being done since there are already more than 25 contracts formalized with those who are beginning to get involved in the export dynamics. Agroint's export team in Las Tunas plays a key role, they have key knowledge."

The export operation process is another essential point, for which the support of the national port authorities is required. The main intention in this sense in Las Tunas is to make the Carúpano port not only the port of the province but also the port of Granma, an issue on which progress has been made. They are working together with possible partners in the negotiation to enter this enclave and even to make the necessary investments there.

The professor of the Institute of Foreign Trade emphasized that one of the most relevant issues is delivery and highlighted the potential of local production lines, created with domestic products, a point in our favor because it makes there a considerable increase in demand.

"Every time you have a product or service you must have the market prospecting with the fundamental indicators and one of them is the geographical factor and, above all, the estimated quantity with the technical requirements and the real one that we can cover," he emphasized.

"In the case of services, it is vital that the owners know that the image is the way we conduct ourselves, the corporate image of the organization transcends that introduction in the markets. The knowledge and skills of the service personnel are relevant, but also the image they may have."

In this sense, he commented that university professors are part of this process of preparation and industrialization, therefore, each university has at least three professors as part of its Chair of Foreign Trade, and an example of this is the University of Las Tunas.

During the meeting, it was revealed that one of the barriers that have been eliminated in recent years is the geographical fatalism that placed the eastern localities in a disadvantageous position in the area of Foreign Trade. An example of this is Agroint, the first company in Las Tunas approved to export directly and as a member of the Chamber of Commerce.