Vietnam and Cuba sign new phase of agricultural cooperation, aiming for self-sufficiency

This new phase of agricultural cooperation between Vietnam and Cuba is expected to act as a practical catalyst, enabling Cuba to quickly increase its domestic food supply, lower import costs, and enhance rice quality.

Both sides agreed on shared objectives, including replicating successful production models to help Cuba expand its cultivated area, improve labor productivity, and boost rice output.

Specifically, the two countries will collaborate to develop three pilot production models, which will serve to identify the most effective methods for wider implementation in the coming years. Vietnam will continue to support Cuba in expanding these pilot models in the provinces of Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, and Granma in subsequent phases.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam Nguyen Hoang Hiep noted that the Vietnamese Government had entrusted the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development with carrying out the rice development cooperation project in Cuba. This project has now entered its fifth phase, with the primary focus during the fourth phase (2010 - 2015) being investment. The signing of this latest cooperation agreement, during the state visit of General Secretary and President Tô Lâm, marks the beginning of a new phase of bilateral agricultural cooperation.

During their brief working trip to Cuba, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development held discussions with Mr. Ydael Pérez Brito, Cuba’s Minister of Agriculture, and Lieutenant General Álvaro López Miera, Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba.

Both Cuban ministers expressed their appreciation for the efforts of the Vietnamese delegation, particularly given the challenges Cuba continues to face, such as shortages of machinery and materials, as well as the impact of extreme weather conditions.

As a result, both sides committed to making every effort to ensure the success of their bilateral agricultural cooperation projects.

In recent years, cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam has enabled Cuba to significantly improve its irrigation infrastructure, making it possible to irrigate and cultivate rice for two harvests per year. Support in machinery, production equipment, scientific research, and capacity-building in agricultural extension and training has also yielded remarkable results.