Russia delivers donation of vegetable oil to Cuba

Havana, Sep 27 (Prensa Latina) Russia stressed its strong will to continue to cooperate with Cuba at a ceremony in Havana to deliver a donation of 650 tons of vegetable oil worth nearly three million dollars.

September 27, 2023
12:45

The products donated by Russia will be part of the stockpile stored by the World Food Program (WFP) in Cuba for emergency food assistance.

We are now witnessing a demonstration of the unwavering commitment of the Russian people and government to the food and nutritional security of the sister Republic of Cuba, Russian Ambassador Victor Koronelli said.

This is happening amid the criminal policy of strangulation of Cuba’s economy by the unilateral measures imposed by Washington and I am sure that with the support of friends like Russia, Cuba will triumph in the face of the adversities created by hostile forces, he added.

The diplomat pointed out that the event was made possible thanks to cooperation with the WFP, through a donation from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations and Civil Protection (EMERCOM).

Last year, nearly 600 tons of peas were acquired to respond to emergency situations in Cuba. Most of that cargo has already been distributed among more than 500,000 people affected by Hurricane Ian in the province of Pinar del Río, he said.

WFP Representative Etienne Labande, in turn, noted that Russia, through the participation of EMERCOM, is a very important partner for the program globally and, of course, in Cuba.

Russia’s contributions to the WFP from 2018 to date have accumulated more than 15 million dollars. That allows for a regular supply that guarantees to maintain available material and emergency response capacity in Cuba for some 260,000 people, she noted.

Cuban First Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment Ana Teresita González stated that the donation will benefit vulnerable sectors of the Cuban population and pregnant women in five eastern provinces.

We seek an effective participation of Russia in our national plan of social economic development for mutual benefit and we are working on the creation of conditions for this.

Russia’s contribution in 2022 and 2023, with 4.5 million dollars to finance purchases through the WFP for Cuba, made it possible to acquire 932 tons of vegetable oil this year.

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