Vietnam – Cuba: Agricultural and fisheries cooperation as strategic pillars

Welcoming Deputy Minister Javier Francisco Agular Rodriguez to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Vietnam, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien highly appreciated the strong, united, and deeply rooted cooperative relationship that the Parties and peoples of the two countries have diligently cultivated over the past six decades.

In particular, agricultural and fisheries cooperation between Vietnam and Cuba has always been regarded as a strategic and most prominent pillar. With its strengths and a solid foundation in agriculture, Vietnam is ready to support and share its experience to help Cuba fully unlock its potential in cultivation and aquaculture. This cooperation is expected to contribute to ensuring food security, improving people’s livelihoods, and promoting sustainable economic development in Cuba.

To encourage Vietnamese enterprises to expand their investment and production activities in Cuba, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien will personally lead a delegation along with the businesses on an official working visit to Cuba. The visit is expected to take place later this year.

“An information-sharing and investment promotion forum will also be organized to call on capable and interested Vietnamese businesses to explore cooperation and development opportunities in Cuba,” Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien added.

Listening to the sharing from Vietnam, Deputy Minister of the Food Industry Javier Francisco Agular Rodriguez stated that Cuba has recently implemented several policies and special mechanisms to facilitate Vietnamese businesses' investments in the country. These policies are directly monitored and guided by the President of Cuba.

"I hope that the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Environment will continue to accompany and support the connection of businesses to Cuba for operations and investments. With the trade agreements between Cuba and countries in Central America and the Caribbean, Vietnamese agricultural products not only have the opportunity to access the Cuban market but also hold potential to expand exports to many other countries in the region," emphasized Mr. Javier.

Deputy Minister Javier highly appreciated the aquaculture models that Vietnam is researching and implementing, considering them a valuable lesson for Cuba to reference and learn from. He also expressed his desire for Vietnam to actively share its knowledge and provide technical support to help Cuba effectively develop this sector.

In the near future, Cuba reaffirmed its commitment to continuing close cooperation with Vietnam to establish and implement new projects, with financial effectiveness and sustainability as the core criteria, contributing to the stable and long-term development of both countries.