Cuban scientists are working towards improving the quality of rice crops in the country.

The Cuban government is also pushing ahead to make the Caribbean island food self-sufficient, or at least reduce food imports to a minimum level, sources said.

More than 70 percent of rice crops in Cuba are planted with varieties obtained from the Rice Research Station of Los Palacios, in the westernly province of Pinar del Rio, where there is scientific work on genetic improvement.

Elizabeth Cristo, an associate researcher in charge of the programme at the center, which is attached to the National Agricultural Sciences Institute said the seeds mainly used are INCA LP-5, obtained by grafting and INCA LP-7 produced through biotechnological procedures.

"By using traditional irrigation methods, by mutations and through biotechnological procedures, the station, founded in 1973, has generated 18 varieties of rice, 12 of which are registered in the Ministry of Agriculture," she said.

Rice workers in Cuba, including farmers and scientists, are coping with the challenge of reducing food imports. Cuba imports 389,000 tons of rice every year, according to recent statistics from the Ministry of Economy and Planning.

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