Nguyen Manh Cuong, Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee, made the statement at a ceremony honoring Viet Nam-U.S. agricultural cooperation, jointly organized by the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City and the U.S. Department of Agriculture on November 9.
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U.S. agricultural products are promoted on the sidelines of the ceremony. |
The event was attended by U.S. Consul General in the city Melisa A. Brown and members of a U.S. agricultural trade mission, which includes more than 30 American agricultural businesses and officials in charge of agriculture and trade from several U.S. states.
Speaking at the ceremony, Cuong said agricultural cooperation between Vietnam and the U.S. had been built over many years, based not only on trade but also on technical cooperation and mutual trust.
The two sides have worked together to train experts, strengthen plant and animal quarantine cooperation to facilitate market access for each other's agricultural products, and implement food safety improvement programs.
Within the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, agricultural cooperation has increasingly delivered practical benefits to farmers, businesses and consumers in both countries, he noted.
Cuong said Ho Chi Minh City, a major economic and commercial center and an important international trade gateway of Vietnam, has advantages in seaports, logistics and retail networks. These strengths could enable the city to become a major hub for receiving, processing and distributing agricultural products and food in southern Vietnam.
The city will continue creating favorable conditions for U.S. businesses to expand trade and investment, while working with the U.S. Consulate General to connect businesses from both sides, he said.
He also called on the U.S. to facilitate greater access to its market for Vietnam's key agricultural products, helping promote balanced and mutually beneficial agricultural trade.
For his part, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Vaden said the U.S. agricultural trade mission, visiting Ho Chi Minh City from November 9 to 12, is the largest overseas agricultural trade mission in the history of the U.S. department.
During the visit, the delegation has seen strong interest among Vietnamese consumers in U.S. agricultural products, which are valued for their nutritional content, quality and safety, he said.
Vaden highlighted the complementary nature of bilateral trade, citing U.S. cotton exports to Vietnam and Vietnam's garment shipments to the U.S., as well as U.S. hardwood and softwood supplies and Vietnam's furniture exports to the American market.
The U.S. wants to build sustainable partnerships with Vietnamese associations, so that it can increase exports of raw materials to Vietnam while helping Vietnamese businesses produce and export more finished goods to the U.S., he noted.
Vietnam is not only one of the fastest-growing markets for U.S. agricultural products but also a highly valued one, Vaden said, adding that stronger cooperation would benefit American farmers, Vietnamese companies and consumers in both countries.
Source: VNA