Further cooperation in agriculture between Vietnam and Ireland
12 September 2022, VN: On September 7 2022, the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine held a bilateral meeting in Hanoi to promote trade activities, seek cooperation, and increase exchanges of experience and knowledge in agriculture, food, and aquaculture.
During the discussion, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Le Minh Hoan noted that, as a result of recent advances in transforming agriculture into a knowledge-based industry, Ireland may share a range of experiences with Vietnam’s efforts to intellectualize its agriculture. The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) creates several prospects for multilateral and bilateral collaboration between Vietnam and EU nations (including Ireland), as well as between MARD and the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine. However, in addition to agricultural product trade cooperation, Vietnam hopes to absorb the expertise and experience of the latter in order to improve agriculture comprehensively.
Minister Le Minh Hoan requested that the two parties sign a new Memorandum of Understanding on agricultural cooperation to recognize the implementation of the EVFTA Agreement since the epidemic as well as their strong pledges at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference.
According to the new memorandum, MARD proposed that Ireland assist Vietnam in enhancing capacity training and modern agricultural management; sharing experiences in developing circular agriculture, organic agriculture, and digital agriculture; constructing a food system that is safe and compliant with the export standards of the EU market, including Ireland; and advancing the dairy cow production.
In addition, the MARD proposed that Ireland cooperate in the development and application of technology and techniques and share knowledge in the field of marine aquaculture, which is a strength of Ireland and the Nordic countries, thereby assisting Vietnam’s aquaculture industry to develop in line with its potential, conforming to the direction of sustainable aquaculture development, and mitigating negative impacts on the marine ecosystem.
Vietnam’s agriculture industry also needs Ireland’s assistance with short-term and long-term offline and online training courses for human resources. Minister Le Minh Hoan stated that quality human resources will not only support the growth of Vietnam’s agriculture but also act as a bridge to foster collaboration between the two nations.
Minister of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine on behalf of Ireland Martin Heydon affirmed that Ireland is prepared to assist Vietnam on several fronts to fulfill its sustainable development goals as well as the suggestions of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for the upcoming MoU.
“We wish to foster collaboration, pursue commercial possibilities, and sell agricultural and food items to Vietnam, particularly beef. As ninety percent of the beef we produce is destined for export, we are eager for this product to reach the Vietnamese market,” stated Mr. Heydon.
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