A Queensland trade delegation led by Mr. Mark Furner, Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities in Queensland, Australia, worked with Vietnamese partners, importers, distributors, and retailers from August 24 to 26 to help Queensland enterprises find markets for their agricultural and food products in Vietnam.

A highlight of the visit was the “Taste of Queensland” event, which took place on the evening of August 25 at the Sofitel Saigon Plaza Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. Stockyard Queensland beef, with its distinctive, premium flavor, was served to some of Vietnam’s leading food and beverage importers and distributors.

In addition to Stockyard Queensland beef, other outstanding products were also introduced to Vietnamese guests and enterprises, including Borrowdale pork, Sugo Tu Sour Dough pizza base, Dairy Free Down Under cheese, Lime Caviar finger lime pearls, and beverages from Bundaberg Brewed Drinks.

According to Mr. Furner, 2023 will mark the 50^th anniversary of Australia-Vietnam relations, so it is timely that the Queensland Trade and Investment Office has opened ahead of this major milestone. Vietnam is Queensland’s fifth-largest agricultural export market, worth $506.4 million a year. Queensland's exports grew 21 per cent in 2021 from a year earlier

“I am delighted to be in Ho Chi Minh City tonight to officially celebrate the establishment of the Queensland Government’s first-ever trade and investment office in Vietnam,” he said. “The Queensland-Vietnam relationship is an increasingly significant and valued one, built on a foundation of two-way trade and investment, and education and cultural links as well as people-to-people ties.”

He also noted that Queensland’s proximity to Asia, its robust food safety systems, and producers who embrace sustainable and ethical farming practices are fundamental to the state’s reputation for premium food. “One of the canapes tonight features Borrowdale pork. This family-owned farm uses the highest ethical standards to raise pigs, and there is no moisture infusion in their meat, no added hormones, and it is certified as ‘free range’,” he said. “Borrowdale Pork is also carbon neutral, with the company offsetting its emissions by supporting a wind power project in India.”

“Through this trade promotion program, we look forward to meeting with leading importers, distributors, and investors in Vietnam to discuss initiatives to develop advanced agriculture and long-term cooperation opportunities in farm produce and food trade, in order to bring commercial benefits to both Vietnam and Queensland,” he went on.

Vietnam has signed 15 free trade agreements, three of which are regional agreements involving Australia: the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement, and the Agreement Establishing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA). These are excellent platforms for Australian and Queensland goods and investments to enter Vietnam.

Within the framework of the event, the signing of an MoU between the Thanh Thanh Cong - Bien Hoa Joint Stock Company (SBT) and Farmacist, a Queensland-based agronomic consultancy company, also took place. The signing makes a significant contribution to the sustainable development of the sugar industries in Vietnam and Queensland in the years to come.

SBT previously purchased over 1,200 ha of sugarcane material area in Tully, Queensland. It is also the first Vietnamese sugar company to be invited by the Australian Government to visit Australia, in an effort to further enhance exchange and cooperation in 4.0 agricultural development.

“SBT always strives to find high-quality material areas and our business philosophy towards sustainable and high-tech agriculture is completely in line with Queensland’s development orientation,” said Ms. Dang Huynh Uc My, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors at SBT.

Furthermore, in the 2021-2025 sustainable agricultural development strategy, SBT aims to increase its raw material area in Australia to 20,000 ha, utilizing digital farming technology via the Farmer Relationship Management (FRM) platform. “We also intend to transfer Queensland’s technology and high-tech agricultural production and management processes to our young workforce via Australia’s Agriculture Visa program,” said Ms. My.

The MoU is considered the first step in an important and long-lasting cooperative journey between SBT and Farmacist, with vast knowledge and technology transfer activities. This event also demonstrates that SBT has carefully researched and acknowledged that investment opportunities in Queensland will be leveraged to quickly achieve its ambition of expanding its high-tech, sustainable large-scale sugarcane raw material area in Australia.

Australia is the world’s leading agricultural producer, with exceptional agricultural research capabilities and scientific background as well as significant government attention and support. The soil, rainfall, and water in Queensland’s raw material area, in particular, are ideal for growing sugarcane.