Golden hues stretch across the sky over the vast rice fields of Los Palacios, Pinar del Río province, Cuba, where harvest season is in full swing. The scene marks a standout achievement in agricultural cooperation between Vietnam and Cuba. After just over three months of piloting a rice cultivation model between Vietnamese company Agri VMA and local Cuban farmers, the first 16 hectares planted with CT16 rice—part of a planned 1,000 hectares—have yielded impressive results, averaging more than 7.2 tons per hectare. Thanks to Vietnamese seeds, materials, and technical support, productivity has far surpassed previous harvests by Cuban farmers and enterprises, which averaged just 3 tons per hectare.

Cuban farmer Dago Roberto

"I was selected to join the cooperation project with Vietnam. I couldn’t believe the results at harvest. Cuban farmers will be amazed. Thank you, Vietnam, for your support and technical guidance. I’m truly happy!"

Oslando Linares Morell - Cuba’s Ministry of Agriculture

"With the success of this model, we’ll expand to over 400 hectares soon, and eventually roll it out across Pinar del Río province."

Behind the success is the tireless work of Vietnamese and Cuban engineers.

Nguyen Thi Thom, Director of Agri VMA

"At first, we faced major challenges—local soil lacked phosphorus and potassium, so we had to use more fertilizer. Equipment was scarce. But thanks to the efforts of engineers from both countries, the CT16 hybrid variety produced high yields—about 7.5 tons per hectare."

Pham Ngoc Tu, head of the Vietnamese expert team

"Yields here used to be only 3–4 tons per hectare. Now they’ve reached 7–8 tons. That proves the effectiveness of proper care and technique. We’ve trained Cuban farmers in fertilization and cultivation so this model can be scaled up."

Ambassador Le Quang Long

"This is a meaningful step forward in Vietnam-Cuba agricultural ties. The Vietnamese Embassy has closely followed the project to help resolve any issues. Seeing these results in person is powerful. I believe this model will continue to succeed and expand across Cuba."

Agri VMA is also investing in animal feed production in Cuba—part of the country’s broader push to develop its agriculture sector under its 2030 socio-economic strategy./.