Vietnam, Hungary seek stronger agriculture partnership

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban witness the signing of a cooperation deal between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Hungary's Ministry of Agriculture (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong and Hungarian Minister of Agriculture Fazekas Sandor has agreed that Vietnam and Hungary should work harder together to tap the high potential of agriculture partnership.

During their meeting in Hanoi on September 25, Cuong lauded Hungary’s agricultural technology advances, especially in breeding, varieties production, food safety control, and support industry for agriculture.

Vietnam hopes to learn from Hungary’s experience in managing the environment and natural resources, including water resources, he said, adding that Vietnam also has high demand for agricultural machines, chemicals, fertilizers, water treatment technology,  human resources training, and agro-forestry and fisheries quality control technology.

Vietnamese farm produce have been sold in over 140 countries, mostly seafood, cashew, peppercorn, rubber, pepper, rice and vegetables.

Fazekas Sandor said that there is much room for cooperation between the two countries in agriculture as they boast many supplementary products.

Hungary has high demand for tropical products, but Vietnamese fruits sold in Hungary still remain limited, he said, holding that Hungary is a promising land for Vietnamese strong products such as coffee, pepper and cashew.

Vietnamese and Hungarian businesses have joined hands in meat processing in the central province of Thanh Hoa, he said, adding that such joint venture will create a premise for the two nations’ collaboration in this field.

Currently, Hungary and Vietnam are cooperating within the framework of the UN Food Organisation (FAO). Hungary has helped Vietnam train agricultural experts and veterinarians, while sharing its experience in wastewater treatment. Along with these areas, Hungary is also willing to cooperate with Vietnam in agricultural machinery manufacturing.

The Hungarian minister also asserted that in the future, the two countries should collaborate more closely in food safety, suggesting that Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development propose some projects for cooperation and introduce several enterprises to partner with Hungarians in the field.

Minister Cuong said that both sides should study each other’s market more carefully to define areas of cooperation.