Japanese agency JICA helps boost Cuban agro-industry

Havana, Cuba, February 16 (ACN) With the aim of contributing to the revitalization of the local agro-industry, reducing post-harvest losses, and generating new income for the regions, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) supported a project in Cuba focused on strengthening the mango and coffee value chains, with an emphasis on the comprehensive use of the fruit and its byproducts.

The initiative, which has now concluded, was implemented from 2023 in conjunction with the Institute of Tropical Fruit Research (IIFT), the Institute of Agro-Forestry Research (INAF), the Arimao Citrus Agro-industrial Company, and the Jibacoa Agro-Forestry Experimental Station Basic Scientific and Technological Unit (UCTB), in the Cuban central provinces of Cienfuegos and Villa Clara.

Within the framework of the project “Strengthening the capacity of local agro-industry to improve food value chains in Cuba,” JICA is promoting the creation of innovative products from mango and coffee husks, combining technology transfer, training, and technical support for specialists and workers from participating Cuban entities.

This approach aligns with the Japanese cooperation strategy of bringing its actions closer to fieldwork, using more efficient and rapid methods to transform local resources, often considered waste, into high value-added goods with commercial potential.

One of the project's most visible results is the development of dehydrated mango rolls by the Arimao Citrus Municipal Agro-industrial Company in Cumanayagua, using the Super Haden variety, a hallmark of the company. The applied technology—based on knowledge and equipment provided by JICA, such as dehydrators, scales, refractometers, and vacuum packaging systems—allows for the transformation of ripe fruit pulp into a light, long-lasting product with visual appeal for different market niches.

Beyond the technological innovation, the cost-benefit analyses conducted by the entity show that using its own mangoes and pulp purchased from other companies makes the product line economically viable, while also opening opportunities for diversification, job creation, and expansion of the food supply.

Jose Israel Peña Rubio, a specialist at the Arimao Municipal Citrus Agro-industrial Company and a former JICA scholarship recipient, pointed to the expansion of product lines using other fruits, the introduction of renewable energy, and exports as future prospects. He emphasized that the cooperative experience has been a step forward for staff training and the industry.

“The technology transfer we have received from JICA has been vital, as has the technical advice for developing this new roll production and the international exchange with experts from other countries.”

According to Pedro Pablo Henry Torriente, director of the Agroforestry Research Institute, the project “has represented a significant challenge in the effort to transform waste into high value-added products.”

Meanwhile, Masafumi Ikeno, from the JICA team, mentioned among the expected results the analysis and diagnosis of the current state of agro-industrialization and demand, the identification of actions to strengthen the value chains of local agricultural products, the proposal of pilot projects, their implementation, and the dissemination of their experiences. According to Tatsuya Ashida, JICA's resident representative in Cuba, the results are very positive. While this medium-scale technical cooperation project didn't require a large investment, "the resources they did have been used efficiently and effectively.

This has not only strengthened the marketing capacity of the value chains, but also, through pilot projects, yielded products that have been successfully marketed even in Havana.

In the case of the husks, a Japanese company has expressed interest."

 "The positive impact of this project is significant, and we are very pleased with the outcome," the JICA representative in Cuba emphasized.