HAVANA._ Cooperation between Cuba and Brazil, which covers a wide range of sectors, is expected to diversify even more with the incorporation of areas such as sports, the Brazilian ambassador to Cuba, Cesario Melatonio Neto, commented.
"Our nation maintains a good and growing collaboration in areas such as public health, medicine, biotechnology, the tobacco industry, energy, and especially agriculture through the program More Food, which consists of the exportation of diverse Brazilian equipment to Cuba," the diplomat said.

In an interview with the Prensa Latina news agency, he recalled that through this latter program, many tractors, fumigating machines, irrigation equipment, among others, are brought to the island in order to help increase Cubaâ�Ös food production and reduce the need to import foreign goods.

Neto said that the first stage of the program - with the participation of Cubaâ�Ös Ministry for Agriculture and Brazilâ�Ös Ministry for Agricultural Development - was successfully completed in 2014. The negotiations for the second stage are now underway while a third stage is planned for 2016.

Cuba counts with natural treasures such as good and fertile soils, a lot of sun and rainfall, and positive agricultural conditions that make it feasible to increase its production while reducing external dependency, the ambassador added.

As part of the program, numerous Brazilian machines have taken part in Cubaâ�Ös sugar cane harvest, while cooperation is in place in order to make use of the sugar caneâ�Ös biomass to obtain electricity. This project is carried out in the 5 de Septiembre Sugar Mill, in the central-southern part of the country.

Commenting on the cooperation in public health, Neto pointed out that it has two important areas: collaboration in the biotechnology area and the presence of Cuban doctors in Brazil.

"We are very satisfied with the excellent work of some 12, 000 Cuban doctors in Brazil where they have tended to around 48 million people," he said.

According to the diplomat, surveys of public opinion in the country convey great satisfaction of the general population with the dedicated work of the Cuban doctors.

A partnership in soccer is now being started between the two countries. The sport ,which is picking up in Cuba, is becoming an important national sport after baseball, the ambassador said as he mentioned the recent visit to the island of Brazilâ�Ös ex-soccer star Pelé.

"Cuba is a real olympic potential in the Caribbean region and we want to use this vast experience to increase cooperation in this sphere," Neto concluded.