Vietnam and New Zealand are committed to strengthening cooperation in the agricultural sector

In the afternoon of August 29^th (local time), Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong hosted a meeting with Mr. Damien Petter O'Connor, Minister of Agriculture, Biosecurity, Food Safety and Rural Communities. The meeting was organized to promote deeper cooperation in the agriculture sector to foster Vietnam’s application of New Zealand’s experience in technology and market development to improve the quality of Vietnamese agricultural products.

At the meeting, Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong affirmed Vietnam’s recognition of agricultural cooperation with New Zealand. New Zealand, with a small population (of 4.5 million), has successfully applied scientific and technological advances in developing a modern, environmentally friendly agriculture sector, especially organic agriculture.

Recognizing New Zealand’s success in the development of kiwifruit value chain, Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong requested New Zealand to support Vietnam with developing the dragon fruit value chain as well as Vietnam’s avocado production and export.

At the same time, Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong proposed that New Zealand create more favorable conditions for agricultural and aquatic products in New Zealand market by accelerating approval procedures related to import risk analysis.

New Zealand Minister Damien O'Connor said New Zealand was willing to share its experience and technology, helping Vietnam exploit its potential in agriculture and food technology. Mr. Damien O'Connor said New Zealand was very successful with the development of the kiwifruit value chain, from variety selection to fruit preservation and export. New Zealand is very willing to assist Vietnam in building the dragon fruit value chain as well as cooperating with Vietnam in food safety management and other areas.

In order to continue to promote bilateral trade, New Zealand seeks to reinforce efficient trade processes to ensure smooth flows of agricultural goods.

New Zealand Minister Damien O'Connor committed to speed up the review of the opening of New Zealand market to Vietnam's fruit and agricultural products in the coming time.