Mutual cooperation for sustainable development of agriculture

Reporter: Can you tell us something about Dutch participation in Vietnam Foodexpo 2018?

I am very proud to be here because the Netherlands is the partner of the Exhibition with its honor status. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc took this honorary position as a gift to Prime Minister Mark Rutte on his visit to our country in 2017.

And more specifically, this year the Netherlands and Vietnam celebrate 45 years of diplomatic relations. I can tell you that 45 years is a long time, I was not even born 45 years ago. That is the time the two countries have officially cooperated. However, Dutch and Vietnamese businesses began to work together longer than that, especially in the agricultural sector.

In both Vietnam and the Netherlands, agriculture plays a very important role for the sustainable growth and development of the economy. The Netherlands participated in this exhibition with a very special motto that you can see when visiting our National Pavilion.

At the Dutch Pavilion, we have chefs presenting dishes and you will have the opportunity to enjoy Dutch flavors, to better understand about Dutch agricultural and food products and flavors. Our motto is that agricultural products must be balanced with the environment, meet high quality standards and serve well for consumers. I think this is the foundation for the competitiveness of Vietnamese and Dutch agricultural products. I see Vietnam has great potential in agriculture.

Reporter: From the Dutch experience, what does Vietnam need to do to sustainably develop the agricultural sector?

I have just started my term in Vietnam. I recently visited some parts of Vietnam. For example, last week, I went to Can Tho city in the Mekong Delta region. It is clear that this is a very potential area for ​​agriculture. I know that Vietnam is currently trying to diversify products and implement transformation measures in the agricultural sector. Vietnamese government agencies and departments in Can Tho are working closely with scientists, businesses and farmers to create innovations for the agricultural sector. This is also one of the ways that the Netherlands applies. Only when you join hands you will contribute positively to the sustainable development of domestic agriculture and global agriculture.