Iran is prepared to help revive Cuba’s struggling sugar sector and build new cement plants in the Caribbean nation, the president of Iran Chamber of Commerce said during a visit to Havana.
Samad Hassanzadeh told Antonio Luis Carricarte Corona, president of the Cuban Chamber of Commerce, that Tehran sees “significant potential” to rehabilitate idle sugar-production facilities and assist in constructing cement factories in Cuba.
Hassanzadeh asked the Cuban side to provide a list of non-operational plants and a breakdown of Cuba’s priority industrial needs. He said both nations have endured years of “unjust sanctions,” but Iran had nonetheless developed strong capabilities in technical and engineering services, modern agricultural technologies, food production and industrial machinery.
He added that Iranian companies are ready to take part in restoring Cuban production units that have been affected by sanctions. “Cuba has a long history of sugarcane cultivation and sugar exports, but the industry no longer enjoys its past vitality. We believe Iran can play a role in reviving this sector,” he said.
Hassanzadeh also said Iranian businesses were prepared to participate, under clear regulations and guarantees, in establishing several cement factories across Cuba.
Carricarte Corona, noting his familiarity with Iranian industrial and commercial capabilities from the last edition of annual Iran Expo in Tehran, said Iran had achieved “remarkable economic successes” despite sanctions.
He expressed readiness to provide the Iranian chamber and traders with the information needed to deepen their understanding of Cuba’s economy.