Vietnamese rice and agricultural products were introduced to Mexican partners, along with trading opportunities in the field, during a conference in Mexico City on May 26.

Addressing the event, Ambassador to Mexico Le Thanh Tung reviewed bilateral cooperation between the two counties over recent years, with two-way trade reaching 1.5 billion USD in 2013.

He called on businesses of both sides to strengthen mutual trust by increasing direct meetings.

Director in chief of Mexico’s National Service of Agro Alimentary Health, Safety and Quality (SENASICA), Enrique Sanchez Cruz, highlighted the importance of the conference in the context that Mexico is in need of importing Vietnamese rice.

He said Mexico is keen on importing more rice and seafood from Vietnam to meet the rising domestic demand.

He also pledged to work harder to remove technical barriers for Vietnamese goods, while continue consolidating confidence of Vietnamese exporters in Mexico .

Meanwhile, General Secretary of the Vietnam Food Association, Huynh Minh Hue, briefed the participants on Vietnam’s current rice export situation, as well as its policies of exporting agricultural products.

He said Vietnam’s average food output is 44 million tonnes per year. In 2013, the country shipped abroad 6.6 million tonnes of rice, he added.

Asia remained the top importer of Vietnamese rice, consuming more than 60 percent of the country’s total exported volume. It was followed by Africa with 28 percent.

Hue said Vietnam’s rice export situation is likely to see no remarkable change in the next five years.

Participants at the event were also introduced to the nation of Vietnam as well as the country’s potential in economics and tourism. They were updated with the current foreign investment attraction of Vietnam and the country’s import-export procedures.

Businesses of both sides also had a chance to dialogue directly to locate partnership prospects.-VNA