Aquacultural cooperation exemplifies Vietnam - Cuba relations

Floating fish cages on La Juventud reservoir in Palacios town, Pinar del Rio province, stand as a testament to the Vietnam – Cuba friendship as Vietnam's tilapia farming technology has transformed this region into a key aquacultural hub, contributing to the Caribbean nation’s food security.

In 2011, Vietnamese experts introduced the tilapia sex reversal technique to the basic business unit (UEB) of the La Juventud fish farm. By administering male steroid to newly hatched fry, the rate of male fish – which grow faster and attain higher harvest body weight than females – has been raised to 98%. This has become the core technique at intensive farming models.

UEB Director Pedro Antonio Gonzalez Graveran said it is the key to productivity breakthrough.

Challenges arose when the project was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in 2023, two pilot cages farming 16,000 fingerlings that weighed 25–50g each reaped an impressive result when tilapia reached an average weight of 860g in just 3–4 months. Some even weighed over 1kg.

Mercedes Dominguez, a veterinarian at the farm, said the growth of 8g per day had been previously a dream of Cuba's fisheries sector.

Vietnamese specialists adapted the technology to Cuban conditions, replacing modern aeration systems with floating cages that utilise natural water flows. Locally available feed such as corn and cassava by-products was used instead of costly imports. This has led to a rise in yields, from 4 tonnes per ha in 2011 to 13.3 tonnes per ha in 2023, while workers' monthly wage surged from 13 USD in 2015 to 58 USD in 2023.