Although the Local Development Project Media Luna, now a medium-sized company, stole the start in the process of proposing and approving micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MIPYMEs), opened in Cuba since the end of September, four other Ciego de Ávila`s ventures already have the endorsement of the Ministry of Economy and Planning (MEP) as new economic actors in the country.

The list, which closes on October 13, includes the agro-industrial La Ceiba, Jucar, San José and Tipico Id & Ed, all private ones, with which three municipalities have representation: Ciego de Ávila, Morón and Florencia, as Ileana Venegas Acosta , provincial director of Economy and Planning, explained.

Media Luna`s transfer from a Local Development Project to a medium-sized company was a "happy move", since the agro-industrial company had developed an ambitious investment process, which gained prominence inside and outside the province. With a portfolio of more than 50 products based on fruits and vegetables (nectars, juices, jams, pickles, dehydrates, jellies and tomato puree) and more than four million pesos in online sales through the Ciego de Ávila export pole, Media Luna expands their horizons in the new environment of economic and legal relations.

Earlier this month, the entity's executives told the Cuban News Agency that “in the process of installation and assembly are a two-ton steam boiler, a reverse osmosis water filtering system, a packaging line in 3.2 kilogram tin can, whose capacity will be 600 cans per hour of finished product, with an autoclave and a section for preparing sweets in syrup”. Likewise, they will open a virtual store on the EnZona platform with sales in national currency and MLC, and a new aseptic packaging line in 300-milliliter Pet bottles.

For its part, Agro-industrial La Ceiba, with a similar main activity as Media Luna, already had a path in growing its productions and creating capacities before becoming a private MIPYME. From the export of charcoal, they obtained the currency to invest in fruit and food processing lines, which will allow them to quadruple the current volumes, as explained in January of this year by Rolando Macías Cárdenas, coordinator of the then Local Development Project.

Jucar, according to the description of the list of the first 100 MIPYMEs approved in Cuba, is an undertaking that will develop, program and market operating system programs, computer applications, databases and web pages, as well as their modification and configuration. It is settled in the main municipality.

In Morón, Typico Id & Ed, in general, will offer gastronomic services, but its scope includes the services of restaurant, bar, cafeteria, banquets, party room, barbecue, cafe-restaurant, cyber cafe (free Internet service), food sales and drinks at home, ice cream, pizzas, picnic area and sale of handicrafts.

Meanwhile, the winemaking tradition of the farmer and engineer in Cybernetics Osvaldo Rodríguez López, owner of the San José farm in Morocco, led him to propose his initiative for a micro-enterprise producing wines and vinegars. Since 1981, the Florentine has been entering the alchemy of ferments and under the name of Rodríguez García Warehouse has been gaining recognition in the north of the province.

As he told Invasor, his main motivation in becoming a self-employed person to a small business is to gain legal status and overcome the obstacles that persist for the self-employed sector, from the point of view of access to raw materials and hiring. Rodríguez López believes that in a month, his company will be legally constituted and he would be in a position to contract his reds, whites and rosés, made from grapes, fruits and viands, in the commercial and gastronomic network of Ciego de Ávila.

Another three Ciego de Ávila`s MIPYMEs are "in queue" to be approved, according to the information offered by the Directorate of Economy and Planning. One dedicated to construction, one for cargo transportation and one for meat production and marketing.

Ileana Venegas explained that once the MIPYME is approved, the procedures for the Constitution as a Legal Person begin, a process that involves carrying out five actions: deposit in the Bank Branch of Capital Stock, account that is opened; signature of the notarial deed, in a term of seven days after the deposit of the capital stock. Besides, registration in the Mercantile Registry, which is where the Legal Personality is acquired; registration of the taxpayer, in the ONAT; and opening of the current account of the company, with which the Deposit account is closed.

At the end of October 13, 168 micro, small and medium-sized companies had been approved in the country, of which 39 have food production as their main economic activity and another 34 belong to the manufacturing area; 158 are private and four are state. The note published by the MEP reported that, due to their origin, 101 of these MIPYMEs are reconversion of pre-existing businesses, while 67 are of recent creation. In addition to the six non-agricultural cooperatives formed so far this month, the new players have created some 2,400 jobs.