China-aided training course on hybrid rice opens in Cuba

On Sept 19, the opening ceremony of a hybrid rice training course, which was independently initiated by the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), was held in Havana, capital of Cuba. Cuban Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment Oscar Perez-Oliva, Minister of Agriculture Ydael Pérez and Vice-Minister of Agriculture Maury Hechavarría Bermúdez, as well as Chinese Ambassador to Cuba Hua Xin and Deputy Director-General of the CIDCA's Department of International Cooperation Guan Zhiyong attended the event and delivered remarks. 

Noting that China and Cuba are close brothers and comrades-in-arms, Perez-Oliva said that under the leadership of the two heads of state, the two countries are working towards building a high-level Cuba-China community with a shared future. This training course is a key project among China's comprehensive assistance measures to Cuba, which closely aligns with the key goals of food security in Cuba's 2030 National Economic and Social Development Plan and is of great significance for helping Cuba respond to the current complex economic situation, he said, extending his appreciation to the CIDCA and other related Chinese departments for their efforts in designing and implementing the project, as well as facilitating other support measures to Cuba. 

The Chinese officials said China and Cuba are good friends, good comrades and good brothers. This project is an important measure taken by the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government to support Cuba, aiming to share Chinese experiences and help Cuba improve the management, yield and quality of rice, and enhance its food security capability. China is willing to work with Cuba to explore agricultural development models and technical paths suited to Cuba's national conditions, continuously deepen bilateral cooperation in development fields such as agriculture and energy, jointly promote open and win-win modernization, facilitate high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and implement the Global Development Initiative in order to make greater contributions to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, they said.

This overseas training course is specifically designed by China to help Cuba address food security. China will send agricultural experts in breeding and cultivation, pest and disease control, agricultural machinery equipment, and production and processing to Cuba in batches to give theoretical lectures, field guidance, and technical demonstration. Nearly 100 experts and technicians from agricultural departments, agricultural associations, research institutions and agricultural enterprises in Cuba will participate in the training.