The first Mercado de Abasto.cu in Cuba opened in Sancti Spíritus this Saturday with minimum purchases of 200 dollars (USD) or 24,000 Cuban pesos (CUP), a requirement that restricts access for those who do not have enough money to buy goods in bulk.
The establishment, located at the ITH Marketing headquarters in the capital of Sancti Spíritus, is open to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (mipymes), self-employed workers, state and private companies, as well as individuals, without the need to sign a prior contract, as noted by the official newspaper Escambray.
Aida Rita Rivas Duarte, director of the ITH Sancti Spíritus Basic Business Unit, explained that interested parties only need to register using a customer form and meet the minimum purchase amount to access the goods.
The management indicated that the initiative aims to organize the wholesale marketing system from the territories and facilitate direct access to various products. However, the established purchasing threshold requires customers to have a considerable amount of money to participate in this commercial circuit.
Transactions can be made in CUP or USD, depending on the price of each product. The establishment accepts cash, point of sale terminals, QR codes, and bank transfers.
The Municipal Agroindustrial Company of Sancti Spíritus is the main supplier in the market. The offer also includes products from three small and medium-sized enterprises and a foreign firm that will be trading in euros, while the entity expects to incorporate new suppliers.
The opening took place at the close of the first Business Forum of the tourism sector, which was held on October 7 and 8 in Trinidad and concluded on Saturday in the capital of Sancti Spíritus. The meeting gathered around 170 participants, including entrepreneurs from Germany, Italy, and Spain, and generated more than 20 business intentions, the source indicated.
Yordanis Fernández Alonso, delegate of the Ministry of Tourism in Sancti Spíritus, linked the forum to the 176 economic and social transformations promoted by the Cuban government. He explained that tourism entities presented their portfolios of opportunities to seek partnerships with state-owned and private companies.
In September, in statements reported by the station Radio Sancti Spíritus, the director of ITH in the region announced for these markets aminimum purchase of 300 USD or its equivalent in CUP. Apparently, the figure was revised downward before the effective opening of the entity.
The opening of a second supply market in Trinidad is planned, although a specific date for the inauguration has not yet been confirmed.
The Mercado de Abasto.cu model is based on the , published on August 4 in the Extraordinary Official Gazette No. 84, which permits the participation of state enterprises, non-state management forms, producers, importers, and foreign investment modalities.
The regulation also requires that these markets operate in CUP and foreign currencies, issue invoices, ensure electronic payments, and incorporate the possibility of online trading, including payments from abroad.
The initiative is part of the 176 economic and social transformations approved in June by the National Assembly, with Axis 19 specifically addressing the reorganization of wholesale trade in the country.
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