Minister Nghi emphasised that as the agency in charge of the Vietnamese subcommittee of the Vietnam - Cuba Intergovernmental Committee, the Ministry of Construction (MoC) has made consistent efforts to facilitate economic, trade, and investment cooperation between the two nations, with agriculture being a key priority.
Minister of Construction Nguyen Thanh Nghi chaired the Conference.
Vietnam is currently supporting Cuba with three projects, namely a project on rice production development for the 2019 - 2025 period, and the other two on aquaculture and maize production for 2023 - 2025 period.
Cuba's Minister of Agriculture Ydael Jesus Perez Brito spoke at the Conference
The Vietnamese Government has tasked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) with developing a proposal for a new Vietnam - Cuba rice production cooperation project for the 2025 - 2027 period. This initiative aims to establish an effective agricultural cooperation model to help strengthen Cuba's food security.
The MoC has expedited procedures to supply rice for Cuba as agreed upon by leaders of both countries. Additionally, it is actively encouraging Vietnamese enterprises, such as Agri-VMA Co. Ltd. to invest in agricultural production in Cuba. The MoC also has supported the Thai Binh company in preparing a feasibility study for a project on rice, soybean production, soybean oil processing, and livestock farming in the Caribbean nation.
The minister Nghi asked the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture to collaborate closely with Cuban agencies and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam to address obstacles faced by Vietnamese businesses investing in agriculture in Cuba. He also highlighted the need for joint efforts to implement the countries' high-level agreements and tackle specific issues such as land use, labour policy, material importation, taxation, and foreign exchange.
For his part, Minister Perez Brito shared that Cuba had established a working group led by Deputy Prime Minister Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz to oversee the implementation of bilateral agreements.
Minister Nguyen Thanh Nghi presented a gift to Cuban Minister of Agriculture Ydael Jesús Pézez Brito
According to the cooperation agreement between the two countries' Ministries of Agriculture, in the coming time, Vietnam and Cuba will implement three pilot models. According to the first model, Cuba will grant land use rights without collecting fees, and Vietnam will fully manage the implementation of the rice planting project. The second model is cooperation between enterprises of the two countries to produce rice in Cuba. The third model is for Vietnamese enterprises to provide essential agricultural materials and raw materials for agricultural production to small-scale rice production units in Cuba. Currently, Vietnamese enterprises are implementing the first model, investing in rice planting in Cuba.
To meet the annual domestic demand of 600,000 tonnes of rice, Cuba proposed increasing its rice cultivation area from 20,000ha to 100,000ha, he said, noting that it now has 200,000ha available for rice farming, and all conditions from human, seedlings, infrastructure to irrigation systems, machinery, and transport are also ready.
After signing the agreement, the Cuban side actively and promptly removed difficulties for Vietnamese enterprises investing in agricultural production in Cuba. This is the first time the Cuban government has granted land use rights free of charge to a foreign enterprise, and permitted Vietnamese enterprises to directly recruit Cuban workers.
Overview working session.
Cuba's Ministry of Agriculture expressed the hope that the MoC will advocate some policies supporting Vietnamese enterprises investing in Cuba.
Nghi acknowledged the positive progress achieved so far and called for continued efforts to overcome remaining challenges, ensuring the successful implementation of Vietnamese firms' rice production projects in Cuba.
Regarding Cuba's proposal to expand the rice cultivation area, Nghị emphasised the importance of successfully completing the initial phase to encourage other companies to engage in production expansion. He also recommended that Cuba consider adopting multi-crop farming techniques, drawing on Vietnam's expertise, to boost rice yields.
He pledged that the MoC will continue working with relevant agencies to propose favourable policies and create conditions for the success of the rice production cooperation.
Leaders of the Ministry of Construction took a photo with the delegation of the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture.
Also at this working session, Minister Nguyen Thanh Nghi discussed with Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment Rivas Saavedra Deborah about the results of the implementation of the high-level agreement between the two countries and the content of the two ministries' exchange in September 2024, agreed to coordinate well to prepare the content for the 42nd meeting of the Vietnam - Cuba Intergovernmental Committee scheduled to be held in the first half of 2025.