The shipment follows a deal signed between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and China’s General Department of Customs in April this year.

Speaking at a conference held in Hà Nội on Tuesday, Minister Nguyễn Xuân Cường said the shipment contained sterilised milk and modified milk made by TH Milk Joint Stock Company (TH True Milk).

TH True Milk is one of five Vietnamese dairy producers that have been approved by China, along with Vinamilk, Mộc Châu Milk, Nutifood and Hanoimilk.

Cường said China was the second largest dairy consumer market in the world (after the US), with a total market value of about US$60 billion.

“More Vietnamese milk products are expected to enter the Chinese market after quality checks. With China’s door opening for Việt Nam’s milk products, the dairy industry is hoping to earn $300 million from this market by 2020,” Cường said.

Representatives witness the signing ceremony for Việt Nam's first batch of milk products exported to China in Hà Nội on Tuesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

He said Vietnamese businesses had built concentrated farming models using hi-tech applications for production and administration, ensuring milk products met the strict regulations of the Chinese market.

“Milk exports to China are a great opportunity for Việt Nam’s dairy industry, and that could move to other potential markets such as Japan, Canada, Australia, the US and Thailand,” he added.

All farms registering to export milk products to the Chinese market have been sampled and supervised by authorised agencies according to regulations of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and Việt Nam.

A number of businesses have plans to build disease-free cattle ranches, supplying quality products for export. It is expected that by December 2022, they will submit their plans to the OIE for evaluation and recognition as disease-free dairy farming areas. — VNS