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Amid the growing discontent of the population, the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel assured that the island could achieve self-sufficiency in rice “in a short time”, during a meeting with representatives of a Vietnamese company involved in agricultural projects on the island.
According to information released by the Presidency of Cuba, Díaz-Canel met with businessman Nguyen Van Quang, president of the company Agri-VMA, which is developing rice production projects in Los Palacios, Pinar del Río.
During the meeting, the leader emphasized the results of the cooperation between Cuba and Vietnam in this sector and stated that this experience demonstrates that the country could meet its own demand for the cereal.
“In a short time, Cuba will be able to self-supply rice,” he stated, despite the fact that for years the island has been unable to guarantee even the rice from the subsidized basic food basket.
The Vietnamese company operates under various modalities, including usufruct land, partnerships with Cuban producers, and the marketing of inputs in foreign currency, with the aim of increasing crop yields, the regime explained.
Díaz-Canel also noted that these projects are part of agreements made with the Vietnamese government and aim to boost agricultural production amid the food crisis facing the country.
For his part, Nguyen Van Quang reiterated Vietnam's willingness to continue supporting Cuba, acknowledging that the island is experiencing "a difficult situation."
The statements of the Cuban leader contrast with the reality of the country, where rice—one of the staple foods—is frequently scarce and has seen significant price increases, forcing many families to rely on the informal market or imports.
Currently, Cuba relies heavily on rice imports to meet domestic demand, in a context of economic crisis, low agricultural production, and lack of supplies.
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