Vietnam and Cuba expand agricultural cooperation to livestock, aquaculture and biotechnology
Vietnam and Cuba promote comprehensive agricultural cooperation, from rice to livestock, aquaculture and biotechnology to enhance food security.
From September 13 to 18, a delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Vietnam led by Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien visited and worked in Cuba.
The program, organized by the Vietnamese Embassy in Cuba in coordination with the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture, included working sessions with leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Food Industry, the Ministry of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Labiofam Biotechnology Group. The delegation also surveyed rice production and aquaculture cooperation projects in the provinces of Pinar del Rio and Matanzas.
Results from rice cooperation
The two sides highly appreciated the results of the Rice Development Cooperation Project - a field that has been implemented since 2002. This program is bringing positive impacts, making an important contribution to ensuring food security for Cuba in the context that this country is still facing many difficulties in production and supply.
In addition to rice, Cuba and Vietnam agreed to expand cooperation to areas such as hybrid corn, animal husbandry, animal feed production, veterinary medicine and aquaculture.
The two sides also frankly discussed the obstacles Cuba is facing, including shortages of electricity, energy, agricultural materials and complicated import procedures.
In the new phase of cooperation, enterprises are considered the core force to realize the research results, technology transfer and management that the two Governments have built.
Vietnamese businesses are encouraged to invest in Cuba in many fields, from rice cultivation, aquaculture, livestock and poultry farming to research and production of biological products.
This not only helps Cuba improve its agricultural production capacity but also helps gradually reduce its dependence on imports.
Practical support for Cuba's livestock industry
During the working trip, the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Environment presented the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture with 5,000 doses of bovine semen, to support the country in improving breeds and increasing efficiency in livestock production. This is considered a concrete step to strengthen cooperation in the field of high-tech agriculture.
The trip of the Vietnamese delegation once again affirmed the determination of the leaders and people of the two countries in strengthening the special friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Cuba.
This is also a follow-up step to the visit to Cuba by General Secretary To Lam in September 2024 and the visit to Vietnam by First Secretary and President Miguel Diaz-Canel in September 2025, opening a period of more substantive and effective cooperation in the fields of agriculture and food security.
