Vietnam and Poland promote a series of cooperation activities in agriculture

Within the framework of the visit to Poland from May 18-20, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien attended the Second Meeting of Working Group on Agriculture between Vietnam and Poland.

The visit took place at the invitation of Mr. Lech Kolakowski, Polish Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. Here, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien also visited and worked bilaterally with agencies of the Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

On May 19, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien and Polish Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Lech Kolakowski chaired the Second Meeting of Working Group on Agriculture between Vietnam and Poland in Warsaw, Poland. The meeting aims to review the contents committed in the minutes of the first meeting of working group since the first meeting organization in Hanoi in June 2022. At the same time, the two sides informed each other about the implementation of cooperation activities in many fields.

Regarding veterinary medicine, the two sides affirmed their continuous bilateral cooperation in this field. The two sides negotiated on certificates for meat and made-up meat products of poultry (including chicken (Gallus gallus), turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), goose (Anser), and duck (Anas)) to export duck meat, goose meat, and some made-up meat products from Poland to Vietnam according to the regulations of the two countries and international practices. At the same time, the two sides confirmed that the certificate for exporting Polish beef to Vietnam will be completed in accordance with the regulations of the two countries and international practices as soon as possible.

Regarding phytosanitary requirements, representatives of the two ministries discussed the negotiation situation on phytosanitary requirements for Polish fresh blueberries exported to Vietnam. The two sides confirmed their attention to continuing efforts to perfect the work to define the requirements in 2023.

The Polish side wishes to export blueberries by the harvest season of 2023. The Polish side is expected to submit a large-scale test report on Drosophila Suzuki (a small fruit fly that damages orchard crops) and organize to invite a Vietnamese technical delegation in August 2023.

Exchanging information about international agricultural fairs organized by the two sides, Poland announced activities to promote food agricultural products carried out in the Vietnamese market and called for cooperation to increase and strengthen trade exchange. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese side expressed its wish to connect with Polish distribution and retail systems or chains to facilitate the export of Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic products to Poland.

At the second meeting, promoting expert cooperation in the fields of aquaculture and food quality management is one of the new orientations agreed upon by the two sides.

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien suggested that the two sides continue to work closely to effectively implement the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), create favorable conditions for businesses from the two countries to come to find out the investment and export markets, and proceed to build joint venture companies in each country to produce, process, and supply Vietnam's strong products that have been exported to Poland.

In addition, the Deputy Minister also proposed that Poland consider investigating the import of fresh fruits and vegetables and canned fruits for the Polish market and neighboring EU countries and support connections with distribution systems and retail supermarkets to introduce and export Vietnamese agricultural, forestry, and fishery products into distribution channels and supermarkets in Poland.

Leaders of Vietnam's agricultural sector also suggested Poland consider supporting human resource training in the fields of agriculture, forestry, agricultural product post-harvest and processing technology, fishing shipbuilding, and rural management and development. Support short-term training to strengthen the capacity of Vietnamese inspectors and testers in the field of food safety control of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products.

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien also proposed that Poland have a voice in support of Vietnam at some EU forums considering withdrawing the IUU yellow card for Vietnam's fisheries industry in the coming time.

On the side of the Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Deputy Minister Lech Kolakowski highly appreciated the cooperation efforts of the two sides' specialized agencies and acknowledged the proposals of the Vietnamese side. The two sides agreed to organize the Third Meeting of Working Group on Cooperation in the Field of Agriculture between Vietnam and Poland in Vietnam in 2024.

During this visit, the delegation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development had a meeting with the Polish National Veterinary Research Institute and the Polish National Inland Fisheries Institute. The two sides presented strengths and cooperation needs in the fields of genetic source exchange of Polish salmon trout and carp, disease diagnostic techniques and laboratory upgrading, support for breeding methods and control of aquatic diseases, and cooperation on capacity-building training for research staff.