HAVANA, Cuba, Jul 8 (acn) The implementation of a Vietnamese rice cultivation method is yielding encouraging results in the central province of Cienfuegos.

The Patricio Lumumba cooperative unit in the municipality of Aguada de Pasajeros started using the method at the beginning of the year and it has achieved a yield of 5.7 tons per 2,47 acres, while the national average is less than 3.5,says a report by
Juventud Rebelde newspaper.

The outcome is even more significant if taken into account the high temperatures and the long periods of drought that hit the area during the flowering period and at the beginning of the harvest.

In addition to implementing the method, the Cuban farmers receive technical assistance and advice in the preparation of the land, water management, fertilization and disease and plague control.

For the exploitation of around 247 acres, rice producers of the cooperative have been provided with threshing machine, manual seeders, and small tractors used for the preparation of the land.

The introduction of the Vietnamese method is part of a broad program implemented on the island to boost rice production.

In related news, Granma reported that a top-notch rice mill was set up in Pinar del Rio’s municipality of Mantua as an important step towards achieving self-sufficiency in rice. The modern facility has a capacity to process 18 tons daily.