Strengthening agricultural cooperation between Vietnam and the Netherlands

On November 21, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong had a meeting with Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Ms. Elsbeth Akkerman.

Ambassador Akkerman affirmed of the strong and deep bilateral relationship between the Netherlands and Vietnam in many fields, especially cooperation in the fields of water management and climate change adaptation.

Ambassador Elsbeth Akkerman confirmed 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.

Ms. Elsbeth Akkerman said that the Netherlands wished to contribute to the sustainable development of the Mekong Delta, through experience and knowledge sharing, especially in the water resources management and agricultural development. In fact, the two countries have worked closely together in the field of water management and climate change adaptation for more than a decade.

Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong thanked the Dutch Government for its support in formulating policies and supporting programs and projects to respond to climate change in Vietnam. Dutch experts have made useful recommendations to be included in the Government of Vietnam's Resolution 120/2017/NQ-CP on Sustainable Development in the Mekong Delta.

Vietnam and the Netherlands have signed two Strategic Cooperation Agreements: Climate Change Adaptation and Water Management; and Agriculture and Food Safety. The Netherlands is actively cooperating with Vietnam in the Anti-erosion project in Cua Dai Beach of Hoi An City. It can be said that the cooperation potential between Vietnam and the Netherlands in the field of climate change is very high.

For cooperation in the field of agriculture, with the support of the Royal De Heus Group, Vietnam's clean chicken has been exported to Japan, a difficult market. Royal De Heus Group has also cooperated in the inauguration of a factory in Nam Dinh, an international pork production and processing complex. This is one of the activities aimed 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 and Dutch Ambassador Elsbeth Akkerman expressed their confidence that the relationship between Vietnam and the Netherlands will develop further in the future.

Source: MARD