Vietnam and the Netherlands have agreed to boost cooperation on water for food and ecosystems by setting up a joint project on building measures to reduce the Mekong Delta’s vulnerability to climate change.

During a talk between Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat and the Netherlands’ Minister for Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Gerda Verburg, in Hanoi on June 6, the two sides also discussed other issues like the development of sustainable trade, especially in agriculture, farm produce and seafood.

Speaking at the event, the Dutch Minister said that water and agriculture are inseparable and that worldwide, agriculture consumes 70 percent of all available fresh water. Thus, the Netherlands has worked together with the Vietnamese government to set up a National Strategy for Water for Food and Ecosystems, she added.

During her working visit to Vietnam from July 5-8, Minister Verburg visited the northern province of Bac Ninh, which is intensively farmed and is close to major consumption areas. Her next leg will be the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre where she plans to observe Pangasius farming and cocoa growing.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), since 2008, the Netherlands has helped Vietnam conduct a comprehensive study into the environmental impact of Pangasius (Tra and Basa fish) farming in the Mekong Delta.

The study’s results are important to make production more sustainable and to counter worldwide concerns about the impact of aquaculture in the region.

Ben Tre province is also important for cocoa farming, a relatively new and small crop for Vietnam . However, the country has ambitions of expanding production tenfold.

The Netherlands is the largest processor of cocoa in the world and companies based in Holland have a keen interest in buying the high quality cocoa coming from Vietnam, Verburg said.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the Dutch Minister will meet with partners in the field of fisheries, in which the Netherlands focuses on food safety issues, sustainable tuna farming and connecting Vietnam with international fisheries conventions.

Also on July 6, Minister Phat presented an insignia to the predecessor of Minister Gerda Verburg, Hans Hoogeven, for his great contributions to the two countries’ agricultural cooperation.

The Netherlands is one of the largest importers of agricultural products from Vietnam in Europe, including coffee, cocoa, fish products, fruit and vegetables. In 2008 alone, agricultural exports from Vietnam to the Netherlands increased by 8 percent to almost 350 million USD./.