The expansion is under an agricultural cooperation programme between the two countries.

Vietnam has transferred its rice cultivation technology to Cuba since 2002 and three stages of the project have been completed so far with positive results.

The fourth stage will be deployed in the 2011-2015 period to ensure the rice supply for the country.

Cuba currently imports about 60 percent of the total 1 million tonnes of rice consumed in the country annually. Vietnam supplies 400,000 tonnes to this Latin American nation each year.

(VOV)