Vietnam-Cuba agricultural cooperation advances and consolidates

Havana, May 19 (RHC) Cooperation in agriculture between Vietnam and Cuba is advancing and consolidating to achieve food security.

According to Maury Hechavarría, vice head of the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture, very important agreements have been made regarding the development of rice production and the cultivation of coffee.

In the case of cereal, Hechavarría stated that the cooperation project has been extended and is already in its fifth stage, until 2025. It also adds a new component- the admission of foreign investments in the area to make it sustainable.

The Cuban minister remarked that the fundamental objective of the collaboration is to ensure the supply of rice to the Cuban population.

Referring to coffee, he explained that there is already a cooperation program that allowed the introduction of the Vietnamese Robusta variety in Cuba, the results of which are encouraging.

According to Hechavarría, during his stay in Hanoi and in the work meetings with the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, other possible areas of collaboration were evaluated, including the development in Cuba of potato seeds, which today are almost all imported.

Hechavarría was also satisfied with the upcoming start-up in Cuba of an animal feed production plant, with Vietnamese investment, and the project to build another one, with a greater capacity -about 360,000 tons-, in both cases of much importance for the development of pig and poultry farming.

He anticipated that in the coming months an industry of the Cuban company Labiofam, installed in the province of Can Tho and inactive since 2018, will begin to produce five bioproducts for agricultural use to market them in Vietnam and other countries in the area.

Hechavarría also highlighted the signing of an agreement with a local company for the production, exchange and commercialization of veterinary medicines, and the decision to convene a Business Forum in Hanoi next October to promote business and investment in the Cuban agricultural sphere.

In addition to Vietnam, where the Cuban delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture arrived on May 11, a full schedule was previously fulfilled in Cambodia and Laos. (Source: Prensa Latina)