Vietnam–Cuba Agricultural Partnership Strengthens Food Security
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During the State visit of General Secretary and President To Lam to Cuba in September 2024, Vietnam and Cuba signed a bilateral agreement on rice production cooperation.
Under the project led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (formerly MARD), both sides aim to enhance Cuba’s food security from 2025 to 2027 through enterprise-level collaboration. Unlike previous phases, this initiative focuses on direct business-to-business (B2B) cooperation, with Cuba offering Vietnamese enterprises land leases for rice cultivation.
AgriVMA – Vietnam’s Pioneer in Cuban Rice Production
AgriVMA, a Vietnamese agribusiness, became the first enterprise to lease 1,000 hectares in Cuba for rice farming, introducing the CT16 three-line hybrid rice variety developed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Tram from the Vietnam National University of Agriculture.
According to the Vietnamese Embassy in Cuba, on March 5, 2025, Ambassador Le Quang Long visited AgriVMA’s rice fields in Los Palacios, Pinar del Rio Province, and witnessed the first successful harvest.
The Ambassador praised the project’s productivity — reaching 7.5–8 tons per hectare, far exceeding Cuba’s traditional yields of 3–4 tons per hectare. He encouraged AgriVMA to expand production, share techniques, and collaborate with local farmers to boost Cuba’s food self-sufficiency.
Ambassador Le Quang Long emphasized that Vietnam’s enterprises are not only driving agricultural modernization in Cuba but also upholding the spirit of solidarity and mutual development between the two nations amid Cuba’s current economic challenges.
AgriVMA’s success marks an important step in Vietnam’s growing investments in Cuba — particularly in agriculture, renewable energy, industrial infrastructure, and food production — under Cuba’s 2030 Economic and Social Development Strategy.
Currently, Vietnam is Asia–Pacific’s leading investor in Cuba, with seven projects spanning industrial zones, renewable energy, agricultural inputs, and rice production.
Infrastructure, Technology, and Human Resources Development
According to Dr. Nguyen Hong Son, Director of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS), the Vietnam–Cuba rice cooperation project aims to boost both infrastructure and technical capacity.
The target is to reach:
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200,000 hectares of rice cultivation,
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Average yields of 5 tons per hectare,
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1 million tons of paddy (equivalent to 650,000–700,000 tons of rice) — enough for Cuba’s food self-sufficiency.
“Cuba’s soil and water resources are fully capable of two rice crops per year, and even three in irrigated regions,” Dr. Son stated.
Vietnam has dispatched hundreds of agricultural experts to train Cuban farmers, assist cooperatives, and develop a national agricultural extension network. The collaboration has already yielded three high-performing rice varieties, including OM 8017, now cultivated on thousands of hectares.
From Technical Cooperation to Strategic Policy Reform
The project’s fifth phase (2025–2027) goes beyond technology — focusing on institutional and policy transformation.
Vietnam and Cuba are jointly developing:
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A national rice production strategy, and
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A comprehensive irrigation system plan for key rice-growing regions.
The emphasis now lies in mobilizing public and private resources, encouraging participation from enterprises, cooperatives, and farmers to improve productivity and market efficiency — mirroring Vietnam’s own agricultural reforms of the “Contract 10” era.
“The challenge is no longer technical — it’s about effective policy design and enterprise participation,” Dr. Son noted.
“To achieve true food self-sufficiency, Cuba must attract both domestic and foreign investors into the agricultural value chain.”
A Model of Solidarity and Sustainable Growth
The Vietnam–Cuba rice cooperation represents more than just agricultural development — it’s a symbol of enduring friendship and shared resilience.
Through enterprise-led collaboration, technology transfer, and mutual trust, the two nations are not only cultivating rice, but also cultivating hope and self-reliance.
As the first 16 hectares of AgriVMA’s rice fields yield record harvests, the path toward Cuba’s food independence is becoming clearer — with Vietnam standing proudly beside its friend and partner.