Hanoi (VNA) -⭕ Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan has stated that in many fields of cooperation with the United States, Vietnam always places importance on science and technology collaboration, particularly in biotechnology.

He made the remarks at a working session with representatives from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Hanoi on February 27. He expressed Vietnam's appreciation for the cooperation of US experts in aiding Vietnam's research and production of African swine fever vaccines. He thanked the US for implementing many technical assistance projects in Vietnam's agricultural sector, and hoped that the two sides would come up with many ideas for future cooperation programmes in fisheries, forestry, and climate change. In the near future, Minister Hoan believes that agricultural trade between the two countries will be further promoted by shortening administrative procedures. He proposed that the US support the strengthening of capacity for animal quarantine, plant quarantine, and forestry. According to the Minister, Vietnamese agriculture is not only an economic sector but also a social structure with the participation of millions of farmers. Any commercial decision could impact the livelihoods of millions of farmers. Vietnam is committed to implementing transparent and responsible agriculture and strictly enforcing world market regulations, he said. Vietnam is striving to adopt international market standards in agriculture, fisheries, and forestry, considering it a catalyst for reform, he added. “Vietnam is currently a member of many free trade agreements. However, in the process of implementation, Vietnam will face certain difficulties. Vietnam wants the United States to support Vietnam in solving these obstacles,” Minister Hoan said. During the meeting, Minister Hoan suggested that the US Department of Agriculture support the promotion of connectivity between business associations of both countries and organise bilateral forums to facilitate cooperation, trade, and investment. The two sides expressed their appreciation for the strong cooperative relationship between Vietnam and the US, and discussed potential solutions to further enhance agricultural trade between the two countries. Jennifer Lester Moffitt, Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programmes, affirmed that the bilateral relationship has developed significantly over time and is currently very strong. The trade turnover of agro-forestry-fishery products between the two countries is valued at up to 10 billion USD, indicating that the agricultural products of both nations have a complementary role to play in the global market, she said. In recent years, both sides have worked together to resolve issues related to market access, with the US opening its market to Vietnamese pomelos and Vietnam allowing the import of US pomelos. Moffitt expressed hopes that in the future, both sides can achieve even more and the Vietnam-US relationship will continue to strengthen. Moffitt stated that the US has made significant scientific and technological advancements in protecting agricultural production. The US is willing to share these achievements with other countries, including Vietnam, she said./.