In the afternoon of May 22nd 2023, the CACCI Presidential delegation made its way to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) – the government ministry responsible for rural development and the governance, promotion and nurturing of agriculture and the agriculture industry in Vietnam – where they were received by key Ministry officials headed by Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam.

Mr. McMullin opened the meeting by thanking the Ministry for receiving members of his delegation and for the strong support of the Vietnamese government – through VCCI – for CACCI and its activities. He also took the opportunity to introduce CACCI and the role it plays in promoting business in the region, the important role the VCCI has played in the Confederation since joining as a Primary Member in 1990, and to convey his invitation for Vietnamese officials and businessmen to participate in the 2023 CACCI Conference to be hosted by the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce in Phnom Penh in end-October. He also expressed his hopes that Vietnam can once again host a CACCI Conference in the near future.

After welcoming the CACCI delegation and thanking them for visiting Vietnam and the Ministry, Deputy Minister Tran shared the following information:

(a) After the pandemic, ensuring food security has become one of the top priorities of the country (which has 28 million hectares of land available for agricultural production), thereby making agriculture as the pillar of the economy and playing an important role in food security.

(b) Due to the Covid pandemic, there has been loss in agricultural production and a change in the consumption pattern;

(c) Among the strategic agricultural products of Vietnam are rice, coffee, cashew nuts, vegetables, lumber, and wooden furniture products;

(d) Livestock, horticulture and crop production are also expected to deal with climate change impact;

(e) There are currently 15,000 enterprises engaged in the agricultural sector

The Deputy Minister expressed interest to send delegation to the CACCI Conference in Cambodia in end-October. He expressed hope that through CACCI, investment in the agricultural sector in Vietnam would increase, and therefore suggested that the CACCI Conference in Cambodia should also address the issue of food security and that efforts to develop a global supply chain in agriculture can be established to ensure food security worldwide.

During the discussion that followed, a number of issues and suggestions were raised by the CACCI delegation, including the following:

(a) Pakistan and Vietnam can cooperate with each other in addressing food security issues. With 63% of its population living in the rural area, Pakistan can import agricultural products to meet the country’s food needs, such as edible oil, cotton, wheat, and sugar. Pakistan can also export fruit and vegetables, and meat. There is therefore potential for small bilateral trade between the two countries in agricultural products.

(b) With Iran importing huge quantity of rice, the country can source some of its rice imports from Vietnam, which is known for the good quality of its rice production. On the other hand, Iran can export to Vietnam products exempted from the US sanction including agricultural products, and agricultural machinery and equipment.

(c) Georgian ports can serve as a transport point for Vietnamese agricultural products to Central Asian countries and to Europe.

(d) 25% of Hong Kong’s rice and coffee imports come from Vietnam. Kowloon Chamber of Commerce can help to bring to Vietnam more potential buyers from Hong Kong;

Deputy Minister Tran further informed the delegation that:

(a) Vietnam will continue to pay attention to the development of sustainable agricultural growth;

(b) The country needs agricultural equipment;

(c) Vietnam will increasingly focus on specialized rice production (high quality and low-carbon);

(d) The Ministry wants to reduce the number of intermediaries in the trading of food products, thereby reducing cost. There is a need to find business partners who can act as bridge between CACCI member countries;

(e) He reiterated his suggestion to have the CACI Conference in Cambodia focus on agricultural issues.

At the end of the discussion, President McMullin and Deputy Minister Tran exchanged tokens of appreciation for the opportunity to share information and views on business opportunities in the agricultural sector between Vietnam and CACCI member countries.

The complete report of the CACCI Presidential Visit to Vietnam can be read HERE.