Cuba will boost cooperation with the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho in developing rice and fruit production and aquaculture, Cuban Food Industry Minister Maria del Carmen Concepcion Gonzalez has said.

At a working session with Dao Anh Dung, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee on September 12, the Cuban minister said her country will prioritise seed production to serve the agricultural development of the city and other localities in the region.

She said after the Vietnam working visit, she will send a document on cooperation with Can Tho to the Vietnam-Cuba Inter-Government Cooperation Committee at its meeting in Havana in October.

For his part, Dung informed his guest that last year, the city exported 900,000 tonnes of rice and 163,000 tonnes of tra fish, earning 460 million USD and 432 million USD, respectively.

Can Tho is focusing on developing large-scale rice field models on a total area of 25,760 ha and building three hi-tech agricultural zones on 389 ha. It has also zoned off 52,000 ha for aquaculture, accounting for 36.7 percent of its natural area.

As the city is home to only Cuban business, the Vice Chairman expressed wish for more trade promotion activities between Cuba and Vietnam in general and Can Tho in particular.
Can Tho will provide the best conditions for Cuban businesses to operate in the locality, he affirmed.-VNA