More milk for Cubans? Uruguay project approved to produce dairy products on the island

The Cuban government approved a joint investment project with Uruguay to boost dairy production in the island, the newspaper told Uruguay's Deputy Foreign Minister Ariel Bergamino ] The Diaria.

The Deputy Minister said this week that the Cuban Council of Ministers had given the green light to the proposal of the Uruguayan National Cooperative of Milk Producers (Conaprole), one of the main exporters of this product. to the Caribbean nation.

"Conaprole is in touch with them and is working in. As a government, we are closely following the issue, because it's something we see with very good eyes, it's a very Good job.Our function is to open doors and establish frames, but we are not the ones doing business, "says Bergamino.

The deputy minister pointed out that much of the milk distributed "in the Cuban welfare system" imported from Uruguay and, since 2015, the governments of both countries held meetings to save the dairy industry in the territory.

"After that, as a government, we started to draft an action plan that includes this specific investment." Conaprole has begun to explore the possibilities, with the benefit that it is already a well-known brand in Cuba and is known for its good quality, "said the former ambbadador of Uruguay to Cuba

Bergamino explained that the main component of the project is that will" not only d & # 39; Enter the Cuban market with milk powder, but also with other products, such as ice cream and yogurt. "

"The Cuban market is not only its 11 million inhabitants, but also the five million tourists who come in every year," he said.

Meanwhile, and in return for this bilateral cooperation, Uruguay is training Cuban technicians in dairy . "In recent years, dozens of veterinarians, agronomists, chemical engineers, all university graduates and related to the dairy industry, have specialized in Uruguay," he said.

"Cuba makes a big investment in this business.It sends every year 20, 30 technicians who are trained and do internships in the dairy school of Nueva Helvecia and directly in the factories of the dairy industry "said the senior official.

Conaprole is a dairy company founded in 1936 and since then it operates in the cooperative scheme, as indicated by its name. Awarded as the leading Latin American exporter, the company markets its products in approximately 53 countries worldwide.