Vietnam and Chile work to remove barriers to fruit and meat trade

At a meeting with Chilean Ambassador to Vietnam Nasly Isabel Bernal Prado on June 16, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Hoang Trung highlighted the positive development of the Vietnam-Chile Comprehensive Partnership across multiple areas, with trade, investment, and economic cooperation remaining key pillars.

“Chile is currently one of Vietnam’s most important partners in Latin America, while Vietnam is Chile’s leading partner in ASEAN. The two countries have maintained close coordination at multilateral forums and within the Pacific Alliance,” Trung said.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Hoang Trung and Chilean Ambassador to Vietnam Nasly Isabel Bernal Prado at a bilateral meeting on agricultural cooperation. Photo: MAE

In 2024, Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE) and Chile’s Ministry of Agriculture signed an MoU establishing a joint working group on agricultural cooperation, focusing on facilitating agricultural trade and technical collaboration.

To date, Vietnam has approved 142 Chilean seafood processing establishments for export. For meat products, including beef, pork, and poultry, veterinary authorities from both countries are continuing discussions to harmonise technical requirements and health certification procedures to ensure food safety and disease control standards.

The two sides are also reviewing proposals related to the import of cattle and buffalo embryos, as well as breeding livestock from Chile.

Regarding Chilean kiwi fruit and cherries, Trung said the ministry is continuing to assess additional technical information and conduct pest risk analyses in accordance with Vietnamese regulations, with a view to opening the market in the near future.

According to Ambassador Prado, 2026 marks the 55^th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Chile. Over the past five decades, the two countries have built a stable, friendly, and effective partnership.

The implementation of the bilateral free trade agreement since 2014, together with both countries’ participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, has created stronger conditions for expanding trade and investment.

“This is an important opportunity for both sides to exchange information, review existing cooperation, and propose measures to further strengthen bilateral agricultural relations,” the ambassador said.

Vietnam is currently one of Chile’s priority partners in the Asia-Pacific region. Bilateral trade has continued to grow steadily, while significant opportunities remain for deeper cooperation in agricultural products, agricultural technology, and animal and plant quarantine.

Rosaura Campusano Alarcón, agricultural attaché at the Embassy of Chile in Vietnam, noted that officials from Vietnam’s Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health recently visited Chile to assess the country’s livestock and veterinary systems and had acknowledged positive outcomes from the visit.

She also encouraged Vietnam to promote imports of breeding cattle from Chile to help improve genetic resources for the country’s dairy industry.

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