Vietnam, Venezuela boost agricultural cooperation

At the MoU signing ceremony (Photo: VNA)

Caracas - Vietnamese Ambassador to Venezuela Le Viet Duyen paid a working visit to Guárico state from February 25 to 28 to discuss stepping up agricultural production projects and other promising cooperation initiatives.

Governor José Arturo Vásquez told the visiting Vietnamese delegation of the results of rice production development with Vietnam during the 2015-2019 period.

He affirmed that bilateral ties have grown in the fields of socio-politics, agriculture, and energy, and hoped that Vietnam would continue with agriculture projects to boost the state’s development.

Duyen, for his part, said the strengthening of bilateral ties with authorities in Guárico in various fields, especially in agriculture, will make effective contributions to the strategic partnership between Vietnam and Venezuela.

As part of economic diplomatic activities, the Vietnamese Embassy also held a seminar to introduce the potential of Vietnam’s agriculture sector.

Duyen reviewed outstanding achievements in bilateral ties in the fields of politics, economy, and socio-culture, and the potential for importing strong Vietnamese farm produce such as rice, coffee, cashew nuts, pepper, and vegetables.

Two-way trade last year reached 24.93 million USD, 22.39 million USD of which were exports from Vietnam, including coffee, apparel, footwear, and rubber. The remainders were exports from Venezuela, such as aquatic products, scrap iron and steel, and apparel, leather and footwear materials, worth 2.54 million USD.

According to the ambassador, Vietnam is strong in production, workforce, techniques, and varieties, while Venezuela has strengths in soil conditions, climate, and market.

With supplementary strengths, Duyen affirmed that the Vietnamese embassy attaches special importance to bilateral cooperation in farming.

Those in attendance lauded a Vietnamese rice farming project in the state during 2015-2019 and suggested local authorities work with the embassy to step up the second stage.

A Memorandum of Understanding was also signed on developing strategic projects in agriculture, high technology, trade, and socio-culture, and in particular the pilot establishment of the Ho Chi Minh Institute for Political-Social Studies in Guárico.

During earlier working trips to the states of Yaracuy and Cojedes, the ambassador also held talks with local leaders on agricultural cooperation between the two sides.