companies of Vietnam will donate to the Cuban people 7,500 tons of rice in a shipment that will arrive in Havana in January 2023, as reported in the XL Session of the Intergovernmental Commission for economic and scientific-technical collaboration between the two nations, held virtually this Monday.
The announcement was made by Nguyen Thanh Nghi, Vietnamese co-chairman of the Commission and Minister of Construction, who affirmed that during 2022 the development of cooperation was maintained, through political and high-level dialogues, according to a report from the agency Latin Press (PL).
20.12 | ????? XL Session of the Intergovernmental Commission #Cuba – #Vietnam for economic and scientific-technical collaboration.
The Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment co-chaired ??, @R_Malmierca and the Minister of Construction ??, Nguyen Thanh Nghi. pic.twitter.com/0DCTXwCObQ
— Embassy of Cuba in Vietnam / Đại sứ quán Cuba (@EmbaCubaVietnam) December 20, 2022
The leader pointed out that important results were achieved in the current year in the implementation of the agreements reached in the previous session and added that his country is making an effort to maintain a stable supply of rice to Cuba and to promote training experiences for companies from both parties, in order to take advantage of the possibilities offered by the agreements in force between both countries.
However, he recognized that the value of commercial exchange in the first 11 months of 2022 decreased by 19.4% compared to the same period of the previous year, reaching the figure of 136.4 million dollars.
As the Cuban counterpart, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Rodrigo Malmierca, highlighted that “the year that is ending was of special importance, starting with Prime Minister Manuel Marrero’s trip to Vietnam.”
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During the visit, it was agreed to maintain dialogue between high-level delegations, as well as to encourage Vietnamese companies to invest in projects of mutual interest in sectors such as agri-food, renewable energy and tourism, said the minister, quoted by PL.
Malmierca added that Cuba will prioritize the reactivation of productive activities and the implementation of development cooperation projects in the cultivation of rice, corn and aquaculture.
He added that the island’s economic plans seek to attract more foreign currency by increasing exports and considered Vietnam as a “strategic partner” to achieve this growth through the export of Biotechnology products and medical services, as well as as well as for the concretion of new businesses with Vietnamese capital.
Cuba and Vietnam have strengthened their political and economic ties in recent years and it is not the first time that companies from that country have made donations to the Caribbean nation.
In January of this year, Nguyen Quang Hung, vice president of the Vietnamese company ViMariel SA located in the Mariel Special Development Zone (ZED Mariel), He delivered a donation of 100 tons of rice to the Cuban people.
This cereal is an essential part of the Cuban diet and the production in the country It is far from satisfying current domestic demand.
At the beginning of 2022, Cuba projected the production of just 180,000 tons of rice, and estimated the demand for national consumption at around 700,000 tons.
