Havana, March 27 (RHC) Before concluding a two-day visit to Cuba on Thursday, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung stressed the significance of a Cuban-Vietnamese bilateral cooperation project to develop rice production on the island. He described this as promising and a step forwards to food sufficiency.

The bilateral project, which has been underway since 2002 in the locality of Los Palacios, 100 kilometers west of Havana, as well as in other Cuban provinces, includes the training of local rice producers and the transfer of technology with the aim of increasing the production of this major staple of the Cuban diet.

Cuba expects to meet 66 percent of the local rice demand by 2016 following a national program that includes the augmenting of companies and farmers in the sector, according to the Cuban News Agency.

The Cuba-Vietnam joint rice project produced 99,100 tons of the cereal in 2013, standing for a 4,54 ton-per-hectare yield, a figure that represents a 1.18-increase with respect to 2002, said Federico Lopez, a Cuban official with the project.

The bilateral project also support institutions dedicated to rice research, while in the fields joint work focuses on fertilization, the quality of lands, good watering techniques and the training of producers.

“I´m happy to be in Cuba, a loving people, our brothers and sisters,” said Nguyen Tan Dung before concluding his official visit to Cuba.