HCM City, Netherlands talk to forge agricultural ties

Illustrative image (Source: VNA)

Nguyen Thi Hong, Deputy Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, met with Dutch Vice Minister for Agriculture Hans Hoogeveen on October 29 to discuss ways to enhance agricultural ties between the City and the Netherlands.

Collaboration between Ho Chi Minh City and the Netherlands has achieved major successes in multiple fields, Hong said while hoping that the Dutch Government would continue supporting the City in the future, particularly in improving the competitiveness of local businesses.

She proposed that the two sides should prioritise four key agricultural projects which focus on export support, post-harvest handling, adding values to the City’s key products and personnel training.

Hoogeveen agreed, saying that the Netherlands and its enterprises are keen to expand cooperation with Vietnam, including Ho Chi Minh City.

The Netherlands, with great strength in agricultural exports, plans to carry out a pilot project on advanced technology for post-harvest handling, he added.

In the presence of the municipal leader, the Dutch Vice Minister and the Dutch Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, the Saigon Trading Group (SATRA) and Fresh Studio Innovation Asia Ltd. inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a project to establish a 14-hectare trading centre for ornamental plants and fish at the Binh Dien Wholesale Market and to test flower supply chains from Da Lat to the City.

The trading centre will offer services for post-harvest treatment, refrigerated transport and storage, packaging, conference and exhibition organisation and payment among others.-VNA