In September 2024, during the state visit of General Secretary and President To Lam to Cuba, the two nations signed a rice production cooperation agreement. As part of this agreement, the Vietnamese government dispatched a team of experts and sponsored various rice varieties, with CT16 selected as the flagship variety, now thriving across Cuban fields.
Under this agreement, Vietnam’s private agricultural company Agri VMA was leased land for rice cultivation near Los Palacios (Pinar del Rio province). One of the chosen varieties was CT16, a three-line hybrid developed by the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences and registered by Cuong Tan Company.
According to the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences, CT16 was recognized as a new crop variety in 2011 and extended until 2032 under Decision No. 520/QD-TT-CLT. The variety was bred from the maternal line Nhi 32A and the paternal line R16, then transferred to Cuong Tan Co., Ltd. in 2014 for mass production.
As reported by Dan Viet, Mr. Doan Van Sau, Director of Cuong Tan Company, the owner of the CT16 variety, stated that in the first phase of cooperation, his company supplied 200 tons of CT16 rice seeds to Agri VMA for cultivation in Cuba.
Delegation visiting the high-tech rice cultivation project in Los Palacios, Pinar del Rio, Cuba. (Source: Embassy of Vietnam in Cuba)
Mr. Sau added that while Cuba’s soil is similar to Vietnam’s, the climate differs significantly. In Cuba, daytime temperatures can reach 33–34°C, dropping to 17–18°C at night. These conditions are ideal for the CT16 hybrid variety, as its hybrid advantage allows it to adapt to diverse climates.
Experts note that Cuba’s unique soil and climate conditions maximize the variety’s growth potential, yielding exceptional results. With these advantages, Cuban farmers can cultivate three rice crops annually using CT16.
CT16 rice yields in Cuba can reach 10–11 tons/ha
Combining high-quality seeds with advanced cultivation techniques, CT16 achieves yields of 7–8 tons/ha in Cuba, doubling the output of traditional local varieties and astonishing Cuban agricultural experts.
However, the 7–8 tons/ha yield is not the maximum potential. In Vietnam, CT16 can yield 10–11 tons/ha with proper intensive farming and fertilization. Experts believe Cuban farmers can achieve similar results.
Vietnamese experts have transferred complete sowing, care, fertilization, and pest control processes, similar to those used in Vietnam, with a seeding rate of 50kg/ha.
Following the success of the first crop, Cuong Tan Company supplied an additional 400 tons of CT16 seeds for the next season and plans to expand rice production in Cuba by leasing more land.
The CT16 three-line hybrid variety was developed by a research team from the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences, led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Tram, along with Tran Van Quang, Pham Thi Ngoc Yen, Vu Van Liet, Nguyen Van Muoi, Tran Thi Minh Ngoc, and Vu Binh Hai. The team used the maternal line Nhi uu 838 and the paternal line R16 to create a variety with sturdy stalks, firm panicles, full grains, cold tolerance, and high yields.
(Compiled)
