Working session between Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan and US Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack (Photo: VietnamPlus) Hanoi (VNA) – The US commits to supporting Vietnam in promoting the trade of agricultural products between the two countries, and its Department of Agriculture is studying and completing procedures for the Southeast Asian nation’s coconut and passion fruit to be exported to the US.
The statement was made by US Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack at his working session in Hanoi on April 18 with Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan.
Vilsack appreciated the leading role of leaders of the Vietnamese Government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in the successful production of a vaccine against African swine fever (ASF), adding that the nation has made a great contribution in giving hope to farmers raising pigs around the world.
He expressed his strong impression with Vietnam's efforts in innovation and adaptation to climate change. Vietnam has actively participated in many coalitions and initiatives to adapt to climate change. Vietnam and the United States will have many opportunities to cooperate in Vietnam’s journey to achieve the goal of net zero emissions by 2050.
US Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack says that Department of Agriculture is studying and completing procedures for Vietnamese coconut and passion fruit to be exported to the US (Photo: VietnamPlus) Minister Hoan affirmed that Vietnam supports and commits to participating in environmental protection initiatives initiated by the US such as the "Reducing global methane emissions" initiative, a commitment to the implementation of the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use, the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate/AIM4C), and the Coalition on Sustainable Productivity Growth for Food Security and Resource Conservation (SPG Coalition).
To contribute to the implementation of these commitments, Vietnam has issued many new policies such as the Sustainable Agricultural Development Strategy to 2030 and a Vision to 2050, a national action plan to transform into a transparent, accountable and sustainable food system in Vietnam by 2030, a national action plan on green growth for the 2021-2030 period, and an action plan to reduce methane emissions by 2030.
Vietnam also focuses on shifting the food system towards a "green" direction, with low emission and sustainability, and rational use of resources, maintenance and conservation of biodiversity.
The country also prioritises the implementation of a series of activities such as reducing emissions by shifting from rice production to the production of fruits and industrial crops, developing rice-shrimp farming, and using less water and fertilisers in rice production, Hoan stated.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan presents a green pomelo to US Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack (Photo: VietnamPlus) The Vietnamese minister proposed the US Secretary of Agriculture pay attention to supporting financial and technical resources through specific initiatives and actions so that Vietnam can strengthen its capacity and successfully implement its commitments when participating in global initiatives.
He also proposed the US consider supporting several priority projects in the Mekong Delta, the country’s largest agricultural production hub, to develop into a logistics centre, a centre for linking production, processing and sale of agricultural products.
Vilsack said that as 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership, this relationship will develop further in the future. He pledged to support Vietnam in solving agricultural issues that both countries concern./.
