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The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment (MINCEX) authorized the registration of the representative office of the Venezuelan company Grupo Empresarial Terra Nova, C.A. in the National Register of Foreign Trade Representations of Cuba, according to Resolution 24/2026 published last Thursday in the Extraordinary Official Gazette number 52.
The resolution, signed by Minister Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, states that the commercial scope of the Venezuelan company includes "the marketing of finished products, industrial raw materials, equipment, parts and components for the agro-industrial sector, food, agrochemicals, fertilizers, cleaning products and personal hygiene items."
The Single Annex of the resolution outlines an extensive nomenclature of authorized merchandise that includes meat and edible offal, fish and shellfish, milk and dairy products, eggs and honey, vegetables, fruits, coffee and spices, cereals, sugars, beverages and alcoholic liquids, fertilizers, and cleaning products, among other tariff categories.
However, the resolution itself imposes precise limits on the operation of Terra Nova on the island. The text states that "the license granted under this Resolution does not authorize the following activities: a) Importing and exporting directly for commercial purposes; b) engaging in wholesale and retail trade in general of products and services [...]; nor c) distributing and transporting goods within the national territory."
This means that Terra Nova will act as a commercial intermediary, facilitating contracts between the Venezuelan company and the Cuban entities authorized to import, without directly operating in the internal market of the island.
The company has a deadline to solidify its legal presence.
According to the resolution, "a period of ninety days, starting from the date this Resolution comes into effect, is granted for the entity whose registration is authorized to formalize its registration in the National Registry of Foreign Commercial Representations," under the penalty of archiving the file.
The authorization comes at the worst possible moment in Cuba's food crisis in decades. Cuba imports between 70% and 80% of its food, while domestic production has collapsed: pork production fell by 93.2% in 2023 compared to 2022, cow's milk decreased by 37.6%, egg production dropped by 43%, and rice fell by 59.1%.
A report from April 15 revealed critical levels of food insecurity in five provinces: Havana, Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Guantánamo, and Santiago de Cuba.
In February 2026, the regime of Díaz-Canel announced the so-called "Option Zero," an extreme rationing plan that ensures barely seven pounds of rice per person per month.
The same extraordinary Official Gazette published another eight resolutions from MINCEX that authorize commercial representations of companies from Italy, Russia, the United Kingdom, Spain, Croatia, and Canada, several of which also deal with food in their business activities.
Among the most significant is Resolution 28/2026, which authorizes the Russian company UniGroup S.R.L. to sell in Cuba "food, tropical fruits, parts and accessories for Russian brand cars, logistics services for the delivery of commercial cargo and packages, and the sale of airline tickets."
The Italian company Globestar S.R.L. received authorization for the "marketing of both maritime and air cargo, food and non-food products, as well as cargo transportation services including multimodal service."
The pattern that emerges from the Gaceta is that of a regime desperately seeking external supply channels in light of the collapse of its internal production, which is a direct result of 67 years of centralized and failed economic management.
All resolutions were signed by Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, great-nephew of Fidel and Raúl Castro, who simultaneously holds the positions of Minister of MINCEX and Deputy Prime Minister since October 2025.
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