Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan and US Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack discussed measures to promote scientific and technological as well as agro-forestry trade cooperation at their meeting in Hanoi on April 18.
Minister Hoan thanked the US and the US Department of Agriculture for their technical assistance to Vietnam’s agricultural industry over the years, which helps increase the capacity of Vietnamese technical agencies.
The disclosure of successful African Swine Fever vaccine research and production has been the clearest illustration of the excellent scientific and technological cooperation between American and Vietnamese experts, according to Minister Hoan.
Regarding cooperation in climate change adaptation, he said Vietnam wishes to receive technical and financial assistance from the US through concrete initiatives and actions to help it improve its capability and meet its commitments in global efforts.
Concerning the promotion of agro-forestry trade, he said Vietnam officially completed the procedures and opened the market for US pomelo on February 15.
“We propose the US speed up the evaluation process and allow Vietnam’s coconut and passionfruit to enter the market,” he said.
For his part, Secretary Vilsack said the US is committed to helping Vietnam deal with issues of common concern, such as in setting up more irradiation centers and providing technical support and capacity training in the field of agriculture.
The US is studying and completing procedures for Vietnam to export coconut and passionfruit to the country, he said.
In terms of vaccine cooperation against African swine fever, he said the two sides would continue to work together to bring the vaccine to market as soon as possible, providing advantages for the pork sector in Vietnam and other countries.
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