English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island
A base-level farming unit in Pinar del Río goes from producing 0.8 tons per hectare to 8, thanks above all to the supplies, they say 14ymedio, Madrid, July 16, 2026 / Eliecer Silva, head of a state agricultural enterprise in Consolación del Sur, Pinar del Río, is today the unwitting protagonist of a news story … Continue reading “The Vietnamese Take Pride in Having Helped Multiply Rice Yields in Cuba Tenfold”
Vietnam’s deputy finance minister has promised another 1,500 tons in a future shipment 14ymedio, Havana, 13 April 2025 — During an official visit to Cuba, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Finance Le Tan Can donated 10,000 tons of rice to the island’s government and promised another 1,500 tons in a future shipment. The containers containing the … Continue reading “Vietnam Donates 10,000 Tons of Rice to Cuba”
The country sent technical advisers to help the province plant 1,000 hectares, 5% of the land available for rice cultivation. 14ymedio, Havana, 21 November 2024 — Despite the failure of similar projects in the past, Vietnam will begin a new rice-growing effort on the island this winter. The project involves planting an initial 1,000 hectares … Continue reading “Vietnam to Invest Again in Rice Production in Pinar del Río but Will Provide Only 50 Percent of the Seeds”
14ymedio, Havana, April 16, 2024 — Cuba and Vietnam agreed on Monday to a protocol that covers more than 50 new agreements to strengthen bilateral cooperation in numerous sectors of the economy, trade, investment and other areas, such as education and science. The document is the result of the 41st Intergovernmental Commission for bilateral economic and … Continue reading “Vietnam Donates 1,650 Tons of Rice to Cuba”
14ymedio, Mercedes García, Sancti Spíritus, 28 March 2024 — Since technical advisors from Vietnam left in frustration in 2022, the rice farmers of Sierpe, a town in Sancti Spíritus province, are increasingly feeling pressure from the state to increase production. They are not happy about having to turn over the bulk of their crops to … Continue reading “Rice Production in Sierpe, Cuba Falls 62 Percent after Vietnamese Advisors Leave”
14ymedio, Havana, August 23, 2023 — Cuba will receive a shipment of 1,200 tons of rice donated by the Government of Vietnam. Although it is not known when it will arrive, a “symbolic delivery” took place this Monday during a meeting between officials of the Communist Party of the Island and a delegation from Ho … Continue reading “To Compensate for the Shortage, Vietnam Makes a Third Donation of Rice to Cuba This Year”
14ymedio, Madrid, 4 July 2023 — In the absence of an increase in agricultural production, and in the midst of an unprecedented shortage and inflation, more rice donated by Vietnam will arrive in Cuba. In May the Asian country sent 5,000 tons; this time it will send 2,000. The first shipment left the port of … Continue reading “Two Thousand More Tons of Donated Vietnamese Rice Will Arrive in Cuba in September”
14ymedio, Mercedes García, Sancti Spíritus, 2 May 2023 — The residents of La Sierpe, in Sancti Spíritus, glued their eyes and ears to national television this weekend while the news of the official visit of senior Cuban officials to Vietnam was presented. The tone disseminated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was exalted. “For Vietnam … Continue reading “Tired of Cuban Inefficiency, the Vietnamese Abandon Their Successful Rice Project”
14ymedio, Madrid, 26 April 2023 — The rise in prices accelerated in March in Cuba, where eating and drinking is already almost 11% more expensive than when the year began. With an increase of 4.5% in the third month of the year alone, acquiring food and non-alcoholic beverages costs 75% more than in March 2022. … Continue reading “In March, the Price of Rice in Cuba Skyrocketed by 23.1 Percent Despite Donations From Vietnam”
14ymedio, Havana, 1 March 2023 — Cuba is scheduled to receive a new donation of rice in May. The five thousand tons being provided by Vietnam is intended to help relieve a shortage affecting almost half the island. Do Viet Duc, general director of State Reserves of Vietnam, said that it will consist of white … Continue reading “Vietnam to Donate Thousands of Tons More Rice to Cuba to Deal with an Unprecedented Shortage”
14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 18 May 2021 — Cuban families describe Vietnamese rice sold in the rationed market as shriveled, with a bad smell and little expansion when cooked. “Here we call it ’the military man’ because it comes in platoons, there is no way that it will fall apart,” Manso García, a traditional rice producer from the Rodas … Continue reading “Cubans Prefer to Pay 10 Pesos for Uruguayan Rice Rather Than 7 Pesos for Vietnamese”
14ymedio, Havana, 30 May 2019 — Twenty years have passed since the start of the collaboration between Cuba and Vietnam to increase the island’s rice production. The authorities plan to produce 86% of internal demand in the new phase of the project, which begins this year and should end in 2023. This new cycle, the fifth … Continue reading “Cuba Tries to Meet 86% of the Demand for Rice with Help from Vietnam”
14ymedio, Havana, 16 June 2016 – Rice is again a symbol of friendship between Cuba and Vietnam. The signing, this Thursday, of the record of delivery and receipt of 5,000 tons of rice donated by the Vietnamese Communist party – the State – is added to the joint agricultural programs carried out by both countries … Continue reading “5,000 Tons Of Vietnamese Rice Arrive In Cuba / 14ymedio”
When someone shows up in the same place over and over again, in Cuba we say “he’s like white rice.” It’s a very popular way to refer to someone whose presence is excessive, be it in a determined sphere, activity, or process. The metaphor obviously comes from the starring role this grain has in the … Continue reading “Raúl Castro Goes to Vietnam to Ensure Rice on Cuban Plates / Yoani Sánchez”
Drying the grain is done outdoors due to “the current challenging energy conditions” 14ymedio, Havana, June 29, 2026 — The province of Granma, once among Cuba’s leading rice producers, has launched a rice-planting program using drones in an attempt to improve its diminished production. The project is being carried out by the Fernando Echenique Agroindustrial … Continue reading “Drones Used in Cuba’s Granma Province to Plant Rice, Although the Harvest Is Minimal”