Can Tho (VNA) – Cuba islooking to bolster cooperation with the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho in the productionof rice, fruits, and aquaculture, in line with agricultural restructuring andhigh-technology application.

Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Lianys Torres Riveramade the statement during a working session with the city’s authorities onSeptember 21.

Vietnam and Cuba have nurtured a traditional andlong-standing friendship, the Ambassador stressed.

Vietnam’s 30-year reform process providedvaluable lessons for the national construction of Cuba in the new era,facilitating the country’s international integration, the diplomat said, addingthat Cuba is focusing on developing its agriculture, tourism, and healthcareindustries, with the country striving to elevate economic and trade relationswith many Vietnam’s localities, including Can Tho, to match the countries’political ties.

Accordingly, priority will be given to animalbreeding programmes that serve both sides’ agricultural development, she noted.

On the occasion, Cuban Consul General in Ho ChiMinh City Indira Lopez Arguelles, who also attended the meeting, briefed herhost on the potential, opportunities, and investment incentives in Cuba.

Vietnamese firms will be given top priority interms of procedures and competition when investing in Cuba, she affirmed.

Arguelles also introduced opportunities forinvestment in the Mariel Special Economic Development Zone, which covers over465sq.m in the west of Havana.

She hoped that the zone’s promising potentialwill attract investors from Can Tho and other south-western provinces ofVietnam.

For his part, Chairman of the municipal People’sCommittee Vo Thanh Thong applauded the proposals and contributions of hisguests, noting that cooperation between Can Tho and Cuba remains largelyuntapped due to a shortage of information about the market and investmentpolicy. 

Cuba has only one project, worth 5.6 million USD,in the city – the Labiofam Vietnam Co. Ltd based in Binh Thuy district.Meanwhile, Can Tho is yet to implement any investment project or export goodsto the Latin American country.

He called on Cuba to enhance collaboration withCan Tho in fields that carry great potential with high demand in the MekongDelta and Vietnam, such as tourism, high-tech agriculture, pharmaceuticals, andespecially biotechnology. –VNA