The meeting between Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Dang Minh Khoi and Russian Deputy Minister of Agriculture Sergey Levin. VNA Photo

MOSCOW — Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Đặng Minh Khôi and Russian Deputy Minister of Agriculture Sergey Levin discussed measures to beef up agricultural cooperation between the two countries during a meeting in Moscow on Thursday.

They shared the view that trade of farm produce between the two countries had yet to meet their expectations as well as capacity of their businesses.

According to Ambassador Khôi, as of late 2021, Russia had allowed 50 Vietnamese firms to ship aquatic products to Russia. Meanwhile, 55 Russian enterprises were permitted to export meat and 77 others aquatic products to the Southeast Asian nation.

This is an important premise for the two countries to consolidate and expand their collaboration in agricultural trade and production, he stressed.

For his part, Levin held that Việt Nam and Russia hold substantial potential to boost their partnership in agricultural trade, noting that many of their products could be exported to the respective markets.

Reviewing a range of events and measures taken last year to boost the collaboration, the official emphasised that such measures had significantly contributed to bilateral agricultural trade.

Việt Nam’s agricultural exports to Russia reached US$612.7 million last year, up 25 per cent from 2020. Meanwhile, Russia shipped $523.1 million worth of farm produce to Việt Nam, a year-on-year rise of 21 per cent.

Việt Nam is Russia’s leading supplier of coffee, aquatic products, cashew nuts, pepper and tea, among others.

Russia is a major meat supplier for Việt Nam, with revenue of $137 million in 2021, accounting for 43 per cent of Russia’s total pork export value. Russia’s fertiliser exports to Việt Nam also surged 162 per cent last year to reach $153.3 million. — VNS