Washington D.C. (VNA) – Vietnam’s Minister of Agriculture and Environment Do Duc Duy is leading a delegation of nearly 50 agricultural agencies, enterprises, and associations on a working trip to the US from June 1 – 7, aimed at exploring trade promotion opportunities and importing US agro-forestry-fishery products.
Duy and his delegation held a productive working session with Iowa's Department of Agriculture on June 2, with the participation of Secretary Mike Naig and Deputy Secretary Grant Menke.
At the event, both sides acknowledged the current state of agricultural trade cooperation while sharing information about business needs and collaboration potential. The discussions opened concrete pathways to promote high-quality agricultural exports from Iowa to Vietnam and vice versa.
Iowa, known as the “Heart of Agriculture” in the US, stands as the nation's leading corn producer with an annual output of 50 million tonnes. The state also excels in producing many other agricultural commodities like soybeans, wheat, pork, and beef.
Duy underscored that Vietnam has become one of the world’s leading agricultural exporters, contributing significantly to global food security, while expanding its processing capacity and improve quality standards to develop sustainable agriculture. He emphasised that Vietnam and the US are well-positioned to complement each other in building stable and long-term agricultural supply chains.
The trade mission's achievement lies in the memoranda of understanding (MoUs) signed between Vietnamese and Iowa enterprises and associations, totalling 800 million USD over three years. Those are significant deals compared to 44 million USD of agricultural exports from Iowa to Vietnam in 2024.
Public–private partnership between the two countries also expanded through an MoU between the Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health under Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA). Under this agreement, both sides committed to strengthening trade ties and promoting collaboration between Vietnamese and Iowa pork industry by organising technical seminars, market promotion and trade missions.
In addition, the meeting provided opportunities for many other Vietnamese and US businesses to connect, opening new avenues to enhance trade relations and strengthen the Vietnam – US agricultural supply chain linkages. These connections are expected to accelerate the transfer of advanced US technologies to Vietnamese agribusinesses, paving the way towards green, smart, and sustainable agricultural development in Vietnam.
Duy expressed his confidence that these events mark the beginning of a new and more effective chapter in the relationship between the Vietnamese business and Iowa. He stressed that these results reflect the mutual goodwill in promoting the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and the US.
During its mission in the American country, the delegation is expected to sign MoUs for purchasing US agricultural products worth over 2 billion USD.
Duy told the press that over the past decade, the US has been Vietnam's largest agricultural export market. Conversely, Vietnam ranks among the top 10 markets importing agricultural products from the US. He stressed that the potential for bilateral agricultural trade cooperation remains enormous. Both governments are currently working to negotiate towards the signing of a reciprocal trade, aimed at achieving balanced, mutually beneficial terms.
Minister Duy underscored Vietnam’s commitment to deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership not just in words but through tangible actions, particularly in trade and investment, with agricultural trade as a central pillar.
Meanwhile, Naig stated that alongside the five signed documents, the meeting presented another opportunity for both sides to collaborate more in innovation sharing and technology advancement in agriculture./.
