China Eximbank provides loan for Rice Drying Plant Construction Project

Project narrative

On February 22, 2016, China Eximbank signed a loan agreement with the Government of Cuba for the Rice Drying Plant Construction Project. The borrowing terms of the loan are unknown. The project involved the construction of a rice drying plant that would process grain harvested mainly from the La Guapa production center. The plant is located in the western province of Pinar del Río, about 150 kilometers from Havana. Upon completion, the plant was expected to have a drying warehouse, two storage silos of 500 tons each, two process silos (one for unloading and the other for impurity), a tilting machine, and a laboratory. It was also expected to allow for the processing of 37 tons of grain every day. The project scope also included the construction of an 8 km canal from the El Punto dam, allowing for the irrigation of the more than 2,000 hectares by the region's growers. Jiangsu Muyang Group Co., Ltd (江苏牧羊) -- a Chinese firm from the eastern province of Jiangsu -- was the contractor responsible for project implementation. Plant construction began in March 2017. The project had achieved a 65% completion rate as of October 27, 2019. The project was originally expected to reach completion by the end of 2020.