Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment (Mincex) has established a foreign trade entity called Grupo Empresarial del Comercio Exterior (Gecomex).

Part of Raúl Castro’s economic reforms, Gecomex is headed by Cuba’s minister of foreign trade, Rodrigo Malmierca. The new agency is aimed at improving the regulatory and managerial functions of Cuban import and export entities now under its umbrella.

This includes food purchasing agency Alimport, sugar exporter Cubazúcar, food exporter CubaExport and a variety of other entities that import chemicals, raw materials, consumer goods, machinery and informatics.

Gecomex’s decision-making role comes as a surprise to U.S. food marketers, who were mostly unaware of this new development.

“This is the first time that I’ve heard of this holding company and change to the buying pattern,” said Pat Wallesen, managing partner of WestStar Food Co. in Corpus Christi, TX, whose firm has conducted numerous sales of dry beans over the years to Cuba.

Added Larry Lieberman, president of Boston Agrex Inc. of Norwell, MA, which has exported frozen chickens and other commodities to Cuba in the past: “I seem to have fallen off their radar. I haven’t gotten any business from them in more than six months. I don’t actually know if the new holding company has had any impact on companies supplying them now.”

Others speculate on the reason for Gecomex’s establishment.

“The decision on food imports, and especially those from the U.S., remains a high-level political decision because of the foreign exchange necessary to do this kind of business, so I suspect that the final OK on deals will still require ministry or higher levels of approvals,” said Marvin Lehrer, senior advisor on Cuba for the USA Rice Federation.

Because of this change, U.S. firms already shipping food to Cuba under the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 could feel pressured to send a rep to the upcoming Havana International Trade Fair.

Such executives will likely want to network directly with Malmierca and his staff.

“Yes, I think it would be very important to try and get some face time with them, whether during the [FIHAV] trade fair or before or after,” said Wallesen.  “One of the problems is that it seems to be very difficult to get a travel visa any more. “

Others supplying food to Cuba seem confident that Gecomex will indeed make international transactions with Cuba more efficient.

“I had no idea of this news,” said Chilean exporter Angel Domper, whose trading company, TJP Internacional, ships various Latin American food products into Cuba.

“However, I don’t believe this is anything more than a name change.  It will still be the same [Alimport] staffers under another name. They only changed who’s in charge.”