Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vu Tien Loc speaks at the forum (Photo: VNA) Dong Thap (VNA) – The 2020 Mekong Connect forum was held in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap on December 21, with an aim to seek measures to get products and services of the Mekong Delta into the global supply chain.
The economic forum, the fifth of its kind, drew some 700 businesspeople and farmers from four Mekong localities of An Giang, Ben Tre, Can Tho and Dong Thap, along with policy makers, investors, start-ups and experts.
Under focus at the event were benefits and opportunities brought by the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) for farm produce and the Mekong Delta development in the future.
Participants also touched upon major elements of Mekong Delta economy, connectivity in development, the EVFTA and the regional development orientations, and investment for clean energy.
In his remarks, Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vu Tien Loc welcomed the four Mekong localities’ idea of holding the annual forum.
He said in addition to investment in sustainable agro-economic development in combination with environmental protection, provinces and cities in the region need to identify priority in infrastructure development and bolster synchronous connectivity with each other and HCM City economic hub.
To gain a foothold in the global food supply chain, Vietnamese firms must work to satisfy the EU’s criteria in food safety, origin tracing, phytosanitary, hygiene and sustainable development, said Vice Chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce Nguyen Hai Minh.
At the event, the four localities signed an agreement on trade connection and a startup programme, which is expected to help introduce Mekong Delta’s products and services in the global value chain./.
