Havana (VNA) – A golden sweep of ripening rice fields now blankets Los Palacios district, Pinar del Río province of Cuba, heralding a breakthrough in agricultural cooperation between Vietnam and Cuba.
This success story is the fruit of a pioneering partnership between Vietnamese company Agri VMA and local Cuban farmers, surpassing all expectations. In just three months, a 16-ha pilot project cultivating the CT16 rice variety delivered an average yield of 7.2 tonnes per hectare. This achievement is part of a larger 1,000-ha initiative aimed at transforming Cuban rice cultivation.
During a meeting with Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Le Quang Long on March 5, Agri VMA Chairman Nguyen Van Quang highlighted the company's efforts to fulfill agreements signed between the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture during Party General Secretary and President To Lam’s visit to Cuba last September.
Three pilot models have been rolled out, which see Agri VMA independently manage over 1,000ha of rice cultivation, supply materials and technical support to Cuban farmers, along with selling rice varieties, fertilisers, pesticides and machinery.
Quang predicted that the full 1,000-ha rice project, set for harvest in May, could yield over 10 tonnes per ha, a stark improvement over the previous local average of 3 tonnes per ha.
President of Cuba’s Agricultural Group under the Ministry of AgricultureOslando Linares Morell pledged to spread the model across 400 ha initially, with plans to scale it province-wide.
Sharing in the joy of Cuban farmers and agricultural experts, Long praised the project’s success, adding that the embassy is closely monitoring the project’s progress to help Agri VMA overcome any hurdles. He believed that the model will continue to succeed and expand to other Cuban localities.
Beyond rice, Agri VMA is investing in livestock feed production and broader agricultural development, aligning with Cuba’s socio-economic strategy through 2030./.
