Strengthening agricultural cooperation between Vietnam and the Netherlands
On November 21, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong had a meeting with the Netherlands Ambassador to Vietnam Ms. Elsbeth Akkerman.
In the meeting, Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong and Ambassador Elsbeth Akkerman have again confirmed of the strong and deep bilateral relationship between the Netherlands and Vietnam in many fields, especially the cooperation in the fields of agriculture, water management and climate change adaptation.
Ambassador Akkerman emphasied that the first priority of her ambassador's term in Vietnam was to develop good relations between the two countries, including promoting cooperation not only between the two governments but also between enterprises, especially in the field of agriculture.
According to Ms. Elsbeth Akkerman, Vietnam and the Netherlands share common interests in agriculture sector, water management and sustainable development. Investment in agricultural production plays an important role in the development of the two countries' economies. The Netherlands wished to contribute to the sustainable development of the Mekong Delta, through experience and knowledge sharing, especially in agriculture transmission, in water management and climate change adaptation.
Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong highly appreciated the results in agriculture cooperation, especially in value chain development. Dutch agri business is doing well in Vietnam, namely FrieslandCampina (dairy products), PAN Group (vegetable seeds), Dalat Hasfarm (with Dutch flower varieties) and Royal De Heus Vietnam (7 animal feed factories). With the support of the Royal De Heus, Vietnam's clean chicken are exported to Japan, a difficult market. the company also has new joint venture with Vietnamese partner - Bien Dong group to build an international pork production and processing complex in Nam Dinh aiming at developing a green clean pork production chain with traceability, ensuring food safety and hygiene to promote the export of Vietnamese pork to the world market.
Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong also thanked the Dutch Government for its support in formulating policies and supporting programs and projects to respond to climate change in Vietnam. The valued recommendations of Dutch supported Mekong Delta Plan 2013 and the practical key notes of The Netherlands at Mekong Delta Conference 2017 are well taken and integrated into the Government of Vietnam's Resolution 120/2017/NQ-CP on Sustainable Development in the Mekong Delta.
Both side agreed to continue the implementation of the two signed Strategic Partnership Agreements (SPAs) on Sustainable Agriculture & Food Security and on Water Management & Climate Change Adaptation. MARD International Cooperation Department (ICD) in cooperation with Agricultural Cousellors Willem Schoustra will coordinate the preparation for the visit of Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong to the Netherlands and / or the visit of the Netherlands Minister for Aggriculture, Nature and Food Quality to Vietnam, possiblily in combination with the tentative visit of Prime Minister Mark Rutte in April next year. Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong and Ambassador Elsbeth Akkerman expressed their confidence that the relationship between Vietnam and the Netherlands will develop further in the future.