On August 2nd, the Coordination Office for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Mekong Delta based in Can Tho city, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the Australian Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh city and related units jointly organised an exchange session with enterprises importing and exporting agro, aquatic products, seafood and livestock between Vietnam and Australia. Attending the meeting were leaders of MARD, the Australian Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh city, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Can Tho city and many enterprises in the Mekong Delta.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam (standing) spoke at the working session.

Recently, two-way trade between Vietnam and Australia for agro products has witnessed significant growth. Several Vienamese enterprises have exported many kinds of agro, aquatic and fruit products to the Australian market, such as shrimp, coconut, durian, longan, litchi, dragon fruit, mango... At the same time, they also import many Australian fruits, beef, dairy products and beverages. At the exchange session, delegates listened to the Australian Consulate-General  in Ho Chi Minh City and MARD’s specialized agencies updating and providing information on cooperation and trade development between Vietnam and Australia. The delegates also had the opportunity to meet, exchange information, share advantages and difficulties in import and export activities between localities and businesses in Vietnam and their partners in Australia, thereby proposing solutions to promote these activities in the future. 

At the event, many local  enterprises in the Mekong Delta expressed their desire to promote exports of many specialty fruits and some specialities of the region such as pomelo, star apple, rice and seafood to Australia. They also hoped that MARD and the Australian Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh city will support Vietnamese  enterprises in connecting with Australian  enterprises, as well as strengthen the promotion and introduction of Vietnam's major agricultural products to the Australian market. Strengthening information exchange and negotiation will create favorable conditions for Vietnamese agro produce to be exported to the Australian market rapidly, and gain access to local supermarkets and consumers in Australia.

KHANH TRUNG (Translated by THAI THANH)