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 ofDong Thap on December 21, with an aim to seek measures to get products andservices 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 Mekonglocalities of An Giang, Ben Tre, Can Tho and Dong Thap, along with policymakers, investors, start-ups and experts.
Under focus at theevent were benefits and opportunities brought by the EU-Vietnam Free TradeAgreement (EVFTA) for farm produce and the Mekong Delta development in thefuture.
Participants also touchedupon major elements of Mekong Delta economy, connectivity in development, the EVFTAand the regional development orientations, and investment for clean energy.
In his remarks,Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vu Tien Loc welcomedthe four Mekong localities’ idea of holding the annual forum.
He said in addition toinvestment in sustainable agro-economic development in combination withenvironmental protection, provinces and cities in the region need to identifypriority in infrastructure development and bolster synchronous connectivitywith each other and HCM City economic hub.
To gain a foothold inthe global food supply chain, Vietnamese firms must work to satisfy the EU’scriteria in food safety, origin tracing, phytosanitary, hygiene and sustainabledevelopment, said Vice Chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce Nguyen HaiMinh.
At the event, the fourlocalities signed an agreement on trade connection and a startup programme,which is expected to help introduce Mekong Delta’s products and services in theglobal value chain./.
