19 November 2007
Windhoek — The current low volume of trade between Namibia and Cuba has left much to be desired, both countries have noted.
Currently, the two countries' trade rate is only at 0,4 per cent. Cuba exports sugar, branded drinks, aspirin and anti-retroviral drugs while Namibia only exports beef, marble and fish mackerel to that country.
"Namibia and Cuba has strong bond of political harmony, but it is very strange that the trade and economic part have been left behind," said Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources Dr Abraham Iyambo on Thursday. Iyambo said Cuba has a lot of products that Namibia can import.
The products include pharmaceutical products and childrens' vaccines. The visiting Minister of Foreign Investments and Economic Co-operation, Marta Morales, added to this saying: "If there is something we are not satisfied with, it is the low volume of trade between the two countries." She attributed the low volume of trade between the two countries to the long distance between Namibia and Cuba.
She also noted that due to the distance, the shipping is very expensive. "But we are discussing how we can improve our trading systems," she said. "We are trying to identify more products for export and import between our two countries. It is our objective and high expectation that the trade volume between the two countries is improved." The two ministers were speaking at the closing of the Cuba-Namibia Joint Commission which ended in Windhoek on Thursday. During the Joint Commission the two parties agreed the revision of the agreement on health.
The parties also agreed to implement bilateral agreements in the sectors of youth, culture and sports. It was also agreed to implement co-operation in the sector of labour.
The minister and her entourage left for South Africa on Thursday.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2007 The Namibian. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
