HÀ NỘI — Mavin Group became the first business in Việt Nam to export fresh pork to a foreign market when the first batch was shipped to Myanmar in late May.

This marks the success of not only the company but also the country’s animal farming sector.

Mavin Group, a joint venture of Australia and Việt Nam, and Japanese-invested Sojitz Việt Nam held a ceremony on Monday to announce the export’s success and sign a cooperation agreement.

The pork shipment, made in coordination with Sojitz Việt Nam, is considered a success of the domestic animal farming sector because this is the first time a company in Việt Nam has fulfilled another country’s technical and quality requirements to export pork. It is an important channel to introduce Vietnamese agricultural products, especially animal products, to the global market.

Deputy minister of agriculture and rural development Vũ Văn Tám said the production capacity of the livestock farming sector had exceeded domestic demand, which even led to some overproduction crises in the past. Considering this, the ministry has proposed the government policies encouraging major enterprises to invest in agriculture, including animal husbandry.

Việt Nam exported the first batch of chicken to Japan in 2017, and Japan permitted the Vietnamese chicken exporter to expand production and shipment to its market.

Việt Nam has also been exporting suckling pig products to Hong Kong (China), Malaysia and some other markets. However, this is the first time frozen/fresh pork of Việt Nam has been shipped abroad, Tám said.

David John Whitehead, chairman of Mavin Group, said in the time ahead, the company planned to export at least one 40ft container of fresh pork, equivalent to 26 tonnes, to Myanmar every month. It is also negotiating the shipping of processed meat products, such as ham, sausage and smoked meat, into this market.

At the ceremony, Mavin and Sojitz Việt Nam signed a memorandum of understanding on bilateral cooperation. Under this, Sojitz will continue to help Mavin Group connect with large clients around the world. — VNS