US Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis Taylor (centre) speaks at the press briefing in Hà Nội on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — A US agricultural trade delegation of 100 members is on a visit to Hà Nội and HCM City on a multi-city trade mission, which is part of the celebration of a year of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

The delegation comprises nine officials from the departments of agriculture of nine US states, 21 representatives from agricultural cooperatives under the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and 35 business representatives.

The visit is led by Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis Taylor, marking the largest-ever agricultural trade mission from the US to Việt Nam.

It was also the second visit of Under Secretary Taylor to Việt Nam in two years.

Speaking at a press briefing in Hà Nội on Thursday, the US official said the mission aims to connect with key importers via business-to-business meetings, and to gain insights into local and regional market conditions through site visits and discussions with industry experts and government officials.

She said: “Markets in Southeast Asia hold immense opportunity for US exporters. Vietnamese consumers are increasingly turning to US products to meet growing demands for food processing, retail, and restaurant sectors.

“Our presence is comprehensive and ambitious in Việt Nam, working frequently with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and other government agencies.

“Our teams here work tirelessly to help Việt Nam improve its regulatory infrastructure and science-based decision-making processes, advancing efforts on agricultural biotechnology, market access of US products, maximum residue limits, fertilise use, sustainability, and more."

Taylor stressed the interest of the US food and agriculture sector in the Vietnamese market, adding that the two countries have complementary agricultural trade as many fruits that the US exports to Việt Nam consist of products that cannot be produced locally, and the same goes for the tropical fruits that Việt Nam exports to the US.

“For all of the interests of our food and agricultural businesses in the Vietnamese market, I think there is equal interest for Vietnamese products in the US market,” she said.

Statistics from Việt Nam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) showed that the US has become Việt Nam’s largest market for agricultural, forestry, and fishery products over the last eight months.

The products brought home about US$8.58 billion from the US market, accounting for 21.4 per cent of Việt Nam’s total exports in this sector and an increase of 23.5 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

Earlier on Thursday, the US delegation met with officials from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and discussed cooperation opportunities with Deputy Minister of Trade Nguyễn Sinh Nhật Tân.

The US agricultural delegation met with officials at the MInistry of Industry and Trade earlier on Thursday. — Photo courtesy of the ministry

Market access for agricultural products is a top priority for Việt Nam and the US, and significant progress has been made over the last year, Deputy Minister Tân said.

“The US has allowed the import of fresh coconuts from Việt Nam and is in the final steps of granting similar permission for Vietnamese passion fruits,” he said.

“Meanwhile, Việt Nam has opened its market for US grapefruits, peaches, and nectarines. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the USDA also are finalising procedures for other products, such as oranges, tangerines, plums, and seedless lemons.”

Tân stressed that the US is a key partner of Việt Nam, and expressed his strong desire to further strengthening trade and investment relations between the two countries.

He emphasised that the elevation of the bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership opened up numerous opportunities for cooperation across all fields, including economic and trade sectors.

In response, US Under Secretary of Trade Alexis Taylor said that both sides should continue to enhance related processes to further open markets for a wider range of fruits.

She urged Việt Nam to create favourable conditions for the import of certain plant products and animal feed from the US and for plant quarantine procedures.

She also expressed the wish to boost bilateral cooperation in biofuels and ethanol use in agriculture in the future. — VNA/VNS