France hopes to build an agro-product wholesale market in Hanoi

France hopes to build a wholesale market for agricultural products in Hanoi. This is an important project in order to ensure food safety

On October 21st, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan had welcomed and had a working session with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic in Vietnam, Mr. Nicolas Warnery

According to the Ambassador, although both countries have joined hands in dealing with livestock diseases, France still wants further cooperation with Vietnam. The goal is to anticipate epidemics and ensure biosecurity in pig production. Even when epidemics occur there would be disruption in circulation, and products still meet international standards.

“I have known that Vietnam is preparing to implement a project on responsible fisheries management - one of Vietnam's efforts to remove the IUU 'yellow card' of the European Commission (EC). Accordingly, France is ready to participate and support Vietnam in implementing this project," said Ambassador Nicolas Warnery.

The Ambassador also stated that France really hopes to build a wholesale market for agricultural products in Hanoi. This is an important project in order to ensure food safety. It is at the same time a mechanism that can divide profits from production to supply and consumption chains in the most equitable way

Highly appreciated the support programs and projects as well as technical support from France over the past time, Minister Le Minh Hoan emphasized that the contents at the meeting will serve as the basis for him and the French Minister of Agriculture to re-evaluate the recent programs and propose new ideas for cooperation.

“Vietnam will review the shortcomings in institutions and regulations on animal and plant inspection in the near future so as to facilitate the agro-product bilateral flow even in the context of the epidemic. At the same time, Vietnam’s accrediting agencies also wish to receive support from French consultants to come to an agreement regarding the sanitary and phytosanitary criteria as well as ensuring food hygiene and safety," said Minister Le Minh Hoan.

Accordingly, Vietnam’s leader of the agricultural sector gave out three proposals to Ambassador Nicolas Warnery.

Firstly, France should give priority to sponsoring Vietnam to expand more projects in the fields of environmental protection, forest degradation countering, natural disaster prevention, natural resource protection and development, conservation of genetic resources, and sustainable aquaculture.

Secondly, France supports rural landscape development projects in the direction towards tourism associated with agriculture and rural areas.

Thirdly, Minister Le Minh Hoan asked France to support Vietnam in developing cooperatives and geographical indications as France is a country with a lot of experience in this field