Hanoi (VNA) — President of the National Assembly of Côte d'Ivoire Patrick Achi had a working visit to the Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA) in Hanoi on August 24.
Welcoming the Ivorian parliamentary leader and his delegation, VNUA President Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan highlighted the university's nearly 70-year history of development, with training closely linked to practical research and national development.
She said sustainable international cooperation is built on mutual understanding and trust, expressing her hope that the visit would open opportunities for long-term, substantive and effective cooperation between the VNUA and Ivorian partners.
Achi praised Vietnam's major achievements in agriculture, particularly improvements in productivity, livestock and fisheries, as well as policies promoting agro-processing and higher added value.
He also highlighted Vietnam's distribution and export strategies, which have helped the country become a major agricultural producer in ASEAN and the world.
With Vietnam and Côte d'Ivoire having similar land areas, Achi said Côte d'Ivoire currently produces only around 2 million tonnes of rice annually. He expressed his desire that Côte d'Ivoire could learn from Vietnam's experience in agricultural policies, human resources training, market organisation, cooperatives and agro-processing in order to unlock the country's agricultural potential.
The Ivorian NA President also praised Vietnam's progress in increasing the value of cashew and coffee production. Côte d'Ivoire produces more than 1 million tonnes of cashew nuts annually, compared with around 350,000 tonnes in Vietnam, while Vietnam's coffee output is nearly 2 million tonnes.
In fisheries, Côte d'Ivoire currently produces less than 100,000 tonnes despite its abundant river system, while Vietnam has raised output to nearly 10 million tonnes and earns billions of US dollars from exports, he said.
Achi also praised Vietnam's significant achievements in poverty reduction in rural areas through food security and sustainable livelihoods.
Based on these experiences, he proposed that the two sides launch pilot policy projects under which Vietnam would provide technical support and solutions to improve agricultural productivity in selected localities of Côte d'Ivoire.
During the visit, Achi and his delegation toured VNUA's Traditional Hall, Centre of Excellence for Research and Innovation, Institute of Agricultural Biology and Technology, and Institute of Vegetables and Fruit Research.
The delegation also learned about the university's biotechnology models and modern agricultural research and technologies./.
