November 18, 2011

Vietnam is being asked by the US to open its market for US-produced beef, said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

The US' top agricultural official made this statement at a reception in Hanoi November 16 given by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai. Vilsack is on the visit to the Southeast Asian country on a move to promote his country's farm produce and seeking cooperative opportunities with Vietnam.

The US plans to import Global GAP-produced litchi, longan and other fruits from Vietnam, Vilsack said, adding Vietnam-sourced dragon fruit, rambutan, mango and star apple are already popular in the US

At the meeting, Vilsack affirmed his intention to share experience with Vietnam to help increase value for agricultural products and raise income for farmers.

In turn, Deputy PM Hoang Trung Hai said that Vietnam wishes to boost agricultural cooperation with the US, a country having great achievements in this field.

The Vietnamese official also expressed his hope that the US would boost cooperation with Vietnam in adaptation and mitigation of impacts of climate change, especially when large acreages in the Red River and Mekong River deltas, the major rice-growing areas of the country, are forecast to be inundated due to rising sea level.

On the same day, Vilsack had a working session with Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat.

At present, Vietnam is an important market for the US Over the past decade, Vietnam stepped from the 50th place to 15th in the US list of farm produce importers with an import value of US$1.3 billion.

The US is the biggest market for Vietnam-sourced seafood products, such as shrimp and pangasius fish.

Also on November 16, Vilsack, the first US Secretary of Agriculture to visit Vietnam, met teachers and students of Hanoi Agriculture University.