Vietnam, Japan step up agriculture business cooperation

Vietnam’s agricultural business climate, priorities to develop agriculture as well as incentives for agricultural investments were introduced at a conference held in Osaka, Japan on April 27.

The event, jointly held by the Consulate General of Vietnam in Osaka, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), aims to attract Japanese investments and technical transfer to Vietnam’s agriculture.

The conference drew the attention of more than 100 Japanese enterprises in the Kansai region, mostly operating in agriculture production, breed development, distribution, transport and banking. They showed interest in the Vietnamese market while saying that they have plans to land agricultural investments in Vietnam.

The conference. Photo: tgvn.com.vn

Suitable natural conditions, an abundant workforce as well as a large domestic market give momentum for agriculture development in Vietnam, Vietnamese Consul General Tran Duc Binh highlighted in his opening remark.

He added that regional and international links and free trade agreements such as the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) pacts have opened opportunities for agricultural cooperation between Vietnam and Japan.

Meanwhile, representatives from the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, JETRO, JICA and enterprises spoke highly of Vietnam’s agricultural potential, affirming to closely operate with Vietnam to carry out the contents of the Vietnam-Japan Medium and Long-Term Vision on Agricultural Cooperation.

They stressed that Vietnam needs to focus on technological and technical application in producing, processing, preservation and distribution as well as building trade mark, which helps increase productivity and enhance the competitiveness of Vietnamese products in regional and international markets.

Hailing the Vietnamese Government and local authorities’ efforts to improve the business climate, they hoped that the Vietnamese Government would continue to complete its legal document system, improve administrative procedures and promote infrastructure construction in order to create more favorable conditions for Japanese enterprises.