Cuba, Portugal agree on agricultural cooperation

Cuba and Portugal have signed a cooperation agreement to exchange experiences and information in sanitary and phytosanitary measures in agriculture, state daily Granma reported Thursday.

Nuno Vieira e Brito, Portugal's Secretary of State for Food and Agro-alimentary Research, said the signing of the documents on Wednesday marked the beginning of a new stage in bilateral relations, which opened the door for marketing Portuguese products in the Caribbean country.

Cuba's research institutes and universities are staffed by highly qualified personnel, said Vieira, adding their Portuguese counterparts were willing to work with them and share their experiences.

The two ministries of agriculture were now studying a range of projects to see which could be of interest to the European nation within the portfolio of foreign investment opportunities approved by Cuban authorities, the report said.

The Portuguese envoy and his delegation also expressed interest in participating in the upcoming International Agricultural Fair to be held in March 2016 in Cuba, the report said.

Dr. Leonardo Cabrera, a specialist at the Institute of Veterinary Medicine, one of the Cuban agencies participating in the collaboration, said the agreement was preceded by a visit of business leaders and officials from the European country.

The Portuguese delegation is comprised of representatives from 10 agro-industrial firms, including Amandio Santos, president of PortugalFoods, an association of technological and scientific entities.

Following a surprise joint Cuba-U.S. announcement in December on restoring diplomatic ties, Cuba has seen visits by a string of delegations from Europe and the United States seeking to promote trade with the island. Endite