Cuba and Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul agree on agricultural cooperation

HAVANA TIMES – A government mission from the Brazilian state of Rio Grande Del Sur, and their Cuban hosts, confirmed their decision to advance in bilateral cooperation in areas such as agriculture and agribusiness, reported Prensa Latina.

Norma Espindola and Andreia Nunes, advisors from the Cooperation and International Relations and the Rio Grande del Sur State Agricultural Research Foundation, respectively, led the South American delegation in their visit to Cuba.

The collaboration defined by the Mission and their local counterparts centers on the production of rice and milk in Cuba and in the field of agroindustry, continuing a relationship that began in early 2012 and was strengthened in March and September 2013.

The exchange of germplasm and varieties of rice, and the establishment of two pilot micro-industries, one in Mayabeque and another in Artemisa, are among the results of the cooperation thus far.

Rio Grande do Sul produces 70 percent of all the rice in Brazil, one of the crops along with soybeans, wheat and corn in the state are part of the most significant release of Genetically Modified foods globally.