[NYTr] Cuba and Venezuela Establish Joint Farm Ventures

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

Granma Daily -Aug 1, 2007
http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/english/news/art02.html


Cuba and Venezuela Establish Joint Farm Ventures

By RONALD SUAREZ RIVAS, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

BARINAS, Venezuela, July 31.— Cuba and Venezuela established five joint
farm businesses on Tuesday for the production of poultry, dairy
products, leguminous plants, rice and forestry products.

The accords are part of a growing cooperation between the two nations
under the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA in Spanish),
which promotes mutually beneficial trade, social development and
solidarity among member nations.

Maria del Carmen Perez, Cuba’s acting minister of Agriculture, and
Elias Jaua, her Venezuelan counterpart, signed the agreements noting
that the other ALBA members (Bolivia and Nicaragua) could join them in
their efforts.

Perez told Granma that before the end of 2007 the first results of the
new farm enterprises should be seen. She said that the rice venture
will take longer because it requires significant hydraulic
infrastructure and will reach its full potential in a period of five
years.

The Cuban official further noted that the island’s participation in the
new businesses located in Venezuela consists mainly of technical
assistance and that their goal is to substitute imports and guarantee
the food security of both nations.

The two ministers took advantage of the meeting to review the overall
agreement between their countries on food production issues, which
includes a total of 40 projects and involves some 1,300 Cubans
providing service in Venezuela.