Vietnam, Japan strengthen agricultural cooperation
(VOV) -Vietnam and Japan have signed an agreement to boost bilateral cooperation in agriculture.
The agreement was reached at a meeting in Hanoi on May 4 between Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Cao Duc Phat, and Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries,Yoshimasa Hayashi.
The two ministers, highlighted the results of cooperation between the two countries in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, saying that both nations should maintain cooperation to foster economic relations and ensure food security.
Minister Phat said agricultural cooperation between Vietnam and Japan has been strongly promoted and benefited both sides.
Japan has provided non-refundable aid for more than 25 technical projects to develop Vietnam’s agriculture and rural areas, and four major irrigation projects valued at US$450 million.
Hyashi Yoshimasa said Vietnam and Japan both have great potential and different advantages for developing agriculture. Japan is an industrialized nation that has been very successful in applying hi-tech to agricultural production.
Japan’s agricultural sector currently meets just over 45 percent of the domestic demand, making it import farm produce every year. This presents an opportunity for Vietnam to export its farm produce to this lucrative market.
In the future, Vietnam hopes to apply advanced Japanese technology toits livestock breeding, farming and aquaculture, improve animal quarantine procedures and enhance irrigation management to increase productivity and raise the quality of its agricultural products in order to boost exports and expand to outlets in other nations.
Vietnam proposed strengthening cooperation with Japan in forestry and boosting official development assistance (ODA) investment in irrigation, forestry, seafood and rural development projects.