Bilateral meeting with the Vice Minister for Agriculture of Cuba – H.E. Maury Hechavarría Bermúdez

Rome – The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, met with the Vice Minister for Agriculture of Cuba, H.E. Maury Hechavarría Bermúdez, on the sidelines of the World Food Forum 2023.

The Vice Minister thanked the Director-General for the invitation to attend the Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum 2023 and noted that it offered FAO Members an important platform for the mobilization of international resources. He mentioned that Cuba is in contact with Asian countries to boost its rice production and is also looking for support to increase the production of soybeans, corn and beans.

The Vice Minister mentioned that Cuba is increasingly focused on science and innovation to improve its capacity to reduce the imports of agricultural inputs, such as fertilizers. He also noted that the Cuban government has recently approved a Food Sovereignty and Nutrition Education Plan. 

The Director-General said that, on his recent visit to Cuba, he had been impressed by how the country has managed to implement actions to transform its agrifood systems towards the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.

He also noted that Cuba should also seek to implement enabling policies and engage internationally to attract more international investments to modernize the country.