The visit reaffirmed the traditional friendship and political trust between the two countries, while adding momentum to promote practical cooperation in agriculture. The two sides focused on exchanging experience in research and the application of high technology in agricultural production, expanding import-export markets for agricultural products, and strengthening cooperation in training high-quality human resources.

During the visit, the delegation held working sessions with leaders of Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Mexican Business Council for Foreign Trade, Investment and Technology (COMCE), and the National Institute for Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock Research (INIFAP), and conducted field surveys to study modern agricultural production models in localities.

At talks with Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development Julio Berdegue Sacristan, both sides reviewed cooperation results and discussed issues of mutual interest, including strengthening food security, expanding markets for key agricultural products, improving food safety standards, and augmenting cooperation in climate-resilient smart agriculture.

Speaking at the talks, Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam thanked the Mexican side for its warm reception, describing it as clear evidence of increasingly close cooperation between the two countries. He said Vietnam wishes to further step up agricultural cooperation with Mexico and is ready to create favourable conditions for Mexican enterprises to export agricultural products to the Vietnamese market.

For his part, Minister Julio Berdegue Sacristan said Vietnam and Mexico share many similarities in agricultural development. Both countries have long-standing agricultural sectors with large farming populations, while playing an important role in ensuring food security, driving economic growth, preserving cultural identity and supporting sustainable rural development. At the same time, both face common challenges in the 21st century, including climate change, limited resource and the need to shift towards sustainable, higher value-added agriculture.

At the meeting, the two sides proposed measures to strengthen cooperation, including intensifying exchanges of delegations at all levels, establishing specialised working groups to remove difficulties in agricultural trade, and expanding markets for each country’s key products.

At a meeting with INIFAP, they reviewed the implementation of a memorandum of understanding signed in 2018 and discussed directions for future cooperation, focusing on sharing advanced agricultural technologies, scientific research and training high-quality human resources.

The delegation also met with COMCE, which represents Mexico’s private sector in international economic activities, to open up practical and effective ways to promote agricultural cooperation.

Discussions focused on connecting business communities, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, and strengthening bilateral agricultural trade.

At the meeting, both sides agreed to make use of the complementary strengths between Vietnam’s production and export-oriented agriculture and Mexico’s advantages in technology, mechanisation and international trade promotion systems, thereby improving the value and competitiveness of agricultural value chains.

In the coming period, they plan to build a formal cooperation framework through the signing of a memorandum of understanding, accelerate trade promotion and technology transfer, and implement specific cooperation projects in areas such as livestock vaccines, innovation and market development. These steps will help lay the foundation for a comprehensive, sustainable and mutually beneficial agricultural partnership.

Earlier, the delegation met with the Vietnamese Embassy in Mexico and laid flowers at the monument of Ho Chi Minh at the Park of Freedom of Peoples in central Mexico City.

Built in 2009 based on a photograph by artist Dinh Dang Dinh depicting Ho Chi Minh working in the garden of the Presidential Palace, the monument stands as a symbol of friendship and solidarity between the people of Vietnam and Mexico.

Vietnam, Mexico seek ways to boost bilateral trade cooperation

Vietnam and Mexico have agreed to step up cooperation to sustain the achievements in their economic and trade relations while exploring new directions and practical solutions to address difficulties, thereby creating favourable conditions for businesses of both countries to strengthen trade and investment ties.