Vietnamese know-how could ensure bumper Cuban rice harvest

Hanoi (VNA) - The role played by agriculture in the development of Vietnam
and Cuba was the major topic of a seminar hosted by the Vietnam Academy of
Social Sciences in Hanoi on Dec. 9.

Participants examined the achievements, prospects, factors and policies
relating to the development of the agricultural sectors in Vietnam and
Cuba , as well as bilateral agricultural cooperation between the two
countries.

Vietnam and Cuba embarked on a programme of agricultural cooperation
during the 1970s, when the latter assisted with the training of Vietnamese
university graduates in biology, agriculture, animal husbandry and
veterinary science.

Cuba also provided Vietnam with cattle and poultry breeding stock,
coffee and sugarcane varieties and new farming techniques, in addition to
supporting the building of irrigation systems to raise Vietnam 's
agricultural production levels.

In return, Vietnam has been supplying Cuba with agricultural experts
to transfer knowledge of rice cultivation techniques. The two sides have
cooperated in a project to grow rice on small and medium scales, with the
third phase currently being implemented.

Dang Phong, an expert from the Vietnam Institute of Economics, said that
although Cuba can boast of basic advantages regarding land, water
sources and weather conditions, it has failed to achieve agricultural
self-sufficiency due to a lack of oil, petrol and farming machinery.

As a result, the amount of fallow agricultural land in the country has
increased by 30 percent in the past five years, Phong noted.

He pointed to the shortage of farm workers and the habit of farming on large
plots of land, unsuitable for rice cultivation as the most urgent matters
that Cuba needs to tackle in the future.

Phong suggested the establishment of three groups of experts, responsible
for researching suitable economic models, policies and social issues to
establish the best areas and models for agricultural cooperation between
Vietnam and Cuba .

Vietnam's rice cultivation industry, relying on smaller-scale production
models such as households and farms, are applicable to Cuba, while
highly-skilled and experienced Vietnamese farmers should visit Cuba to
directly transfer their knowledge of tried and tested techniques to local
farmers, helping them to grow and harvest their crops for the next 1-3
years, he added.-Enditem