Prior to the assessment of the work done last 2020, Leonardo Bruzón Reynaldo, Head of the Department of Foreign Trade, Foreign Investment and International Cooperation of the Provincial Government of Holguín, highlighted that in spite of having lived through a very complex year, Holguin's export producers grew and reached encouraging levels.

In this regard, Bruzón Reynaldo stressed that despite the strengthening of the US blockade and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Holguin producers in the sector grew, and although they did not manage to produce the 42 planned items, with the 35 at the end of the year they achieved sales over 25 million pesos, what exceeds the total of sales from 2019.

The executive referred that entities that exceeded their plans stood out, such as Cubaníquel in the lead, followed by Azcuba and the Holguín Tobacco Collection, Processing and Twisting Factory; as well as the Guajaca Shrimp Farm and the Nicaro Iron and Steel Research Center.

These results are the product of the continuous work in the implementation of General Indication No. 6 of the Comprehensive Strategy for Exports of Goods and Services referred to the promotion, development and consolidation of exportable items.

An important step forward took place on July 17, 2020 with the constitution of the Provincial Group to promote exports.

This event, which was chaired by the Provincial Government Department, was made up by representatives of the Chamber of Commerce, the University of Holguin, the provincial delegation of CITMA (Industrial Property and Trademark Registry, OTN), the Association of Social Communicators, ANEC, CONAC, Vegetal Health, Animal Health, the Commercial and Institutional Communication Departments of the entities that produce and deliver exportable items, Mass Media, the Government Citizen Portal and specialists who are in charge of the activity in the Governments of the 14 municipalities.

In the update made to the exportable offer of the territory requested by PROCUBA, new goods and services are added in the state sector, among which are the Agricultural Implement Factory (Holmeca Company) with 54 goods and two services; Various Local Industries (AVIL) with two goods; the Cuban Fund of Cultural Goods with one service; Fish PescaHol Company with four goods; GEOCUBA business group with eight services and six goods, and the Mayarí Agroforestry Company with one good, for a total provincial offer of 65 goods and 14 services.

In the survey of non-state management forms, there is a significant increase in the number of items to be included in the export chart, of which we estimate that about 100 can be developed gradually in the coming years.

According to a report by the head of the Department, they are working to have the first two export poles: the Héroes del 26 de Julio (Holmeca) agricultural implements factory and the "Wilfredo Peña" horticultural company, both in the municipality of Holguín.

PRODUCTION CHAINS AND IMPORT REPLACEMENT

Several entities of the province of Holguin achieve linkages with tourism, among others Lácteo (Dairy), Cárnico (Meat), and Empresa Pesquera (Fish), they all from the Food Industry.

Also the brewery Bucanero SA, AZCUBA (TECNOAZUCAR), the Ministry of Culture, and Public Health, until surpassing the number of 15.

Agriculture supplies products to the Turquino canning factory, the Combinado Lácteo (Dairy), the Ceballos Agroindustry of Ciego de Avila, among others, as well as deliveries by private producers of bee honey and charcoal.

The Coordination of Industries of the Provincial Government organized the event "Complements", on production chains, hosted by the Héroes del 26 de Julio Factory (HOLMECA) from October 19 to 23, with a wide participation of the Holguin businessmen, where the linkage with tourism stood out.

Important was the reorganization between Public Health, the Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR) and Gaviota SA of the medical services that in addition to the International Clinics and the existing wards for tourists in our hospitals, was reinforced with medical personnel in the hotels with foreign clientele at the end of last year, conceiving the opening of isolation wards in the facilities themselves.

FOREIGN INVESTMENT

Bruzón Reynaldo highlighted that three new businesses were approved in 2020, two totally foreign capital companies in the electro-energy sector: Eólica Gibara III and Eólica Río Seco II SA, as well as a mixed company: Ferroníquel Moa S.A. in the mining sector.

He also reported that the province has six businesses under development, two Joint Ventures and four Administration Contracts, 66.6% of which belong to the tourism sector.

FOREIGN INVESTMENT

Bruzón Reynaldo highlighted that in 2020 three new businesses were approved, two Totally Foreign Capital Companies in the electro-energy sector: Eólica Gibara III and Eólica Río Seco II SA, as well as a Joint Venture: Ferroníquel Moa S.A. in the mining sector.

He also reported that the province has six businesses under development, two Joint Ventures and four Administration Contracts, 66.6% of which belong to the tourism sector.

There are also four investments in execution, and the same amount in preparation, more than 62% in the electro-energy sector, 25% in the chemical and light industries, and the mining sector with 12.5%.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

The province closed 2020 with a total of 38 international cooperation actions benefiting Education, CITMA, Public Health, Higher Education, Culture, Transportation, among other entities.

With these and other results, Holguin people linked to Foreign Trade, Foreign Investment and International Cooperation are summoned to a deep reflection on the balance of the work done along the challenging 2020, and the challenges to increase and diversify exports, substitute imports, expand the productive chaining between the economic agents of the state and non-state sectors, the foreign investment and the international cooperation to make more latent the sentence to think as a country.