Enhancing market access for Italian agricultural exports to Vietnam

Trade relations continue to develop positively

At the meeting, Minister Do Duc Duy affirmed that Italy is Vietnam’s third-largest trading partner in the EU and its largest trading partner in ASEAN. In 2024, the two countries’ trade volume approached 7 billion USD, in line with the joint statement made by the two nations’ high-level leaders in 2023.

According to the Minister, Vietnam is currently not only focusing on domestic production of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products, but also aspires to contribute to global food security by increasing exports of the highest-quality products to serve international markets.

The Minister of Agriculture and Environment highly appreciated Italy’s role in supporting Vietnam’s transformation of its food systems towards transparency, responsibility, and sustainability.

“With Italy hosting the headquarters of many major international organizations such as the FAO, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and soon to be the co-host of the second United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS+4), the country holds a special role in shaping global agricultural policies and influence,” Minister Duy emphasized.

Ambassador Marco Della Seta shared that the bilateral cooperation between the two countries is developing very well. He affirmed that both Italy and Vietnam are striving to diversify their export portfolios, with a shared focus on promoting sustainable agriculture. With its long-standing agricultural tradition, Italy considers this sector a key pillar of its economic development strategy.

In 2024, the agricultural trade balance between the two countries reached 620 million euros - an encouraging figure, according to the Ambassador, with much room for further trade cooperation. Vietnam's major agricultural exports to Italy include coffee, cashew nuts, rice, seafood, and fruits. Meanwhile, Italian strategic exports such as wine, pasta, cheese, and olive oil still hold great potential in the Vietnamese market.

Addressing market access issues for 4 Italian agricultural products

The Italian Ambassador expressed hope for accelerating Vietnam’s market access approval for four Italian agricultural products: fresh apples, kiwifruit, beef, and egg-based products. He noted that although negotiations on these items have been ongoing for a long time, certain technical obstacles remain, particularly in relation to quarantine and risk assessment procedures.

According to Mrs. Nguyen Thu Thuy, Deputy Director General of the Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health, for Italian beef and egg-based products to be imported into Vietnam, the Italian side must provide a comprehensive risk assessment report and sufficient animal disease surveillance data. Since January 2022, Vietnam has sent official requests, but has yet to receive the necessary information from Italy.

As for apples, Mrs. Tran Thi Hoa, Deputy Director General of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, stated that Vietnam has allowed their import since August 2019. However, the two sides have not agreed on the storage conditions: Vietnam requires cold storage at 1°C for 80 days, while Italy has proposed a revised condition of 2°C for 35 days. To address this discrepancy, Vietnam has suggested a compromise - reducing the storage duration while maintaining a lower temperature to ensure effective pest control.

Although negotiations began in 2013 regarding kiwifruit, no progress has been made due to the lack of a completed pest risk assessment based on international sample size standards and criteria.

Minister Do Duc Duy proposed that the Italian Agricultural Attaché in Vietnam work directly with the Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health to swiftly reach agreement on quarantine technical standards and resolve outstanding issues. The Minister expressed hope that by September at the latest, the two sides could open the market for at least one product, and tasked the Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health, along with the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, to work closely with the Italian side.

The Minister also expressed hope that the Italian Ambassador would lend a positive voice within the European Commission (EC) to support Vietnam in its efforts to lift the IUU “yellow card” warning.

The Minister reaffirmed the promising outlook for Vietnam - Italy agricultural cooperation. In the first half of the year, bilateral trade reached 570 million USD, marking a 50% increase compared to the same period last year.

At the end of the meeting, Ambassador Marco Della Seta expressed his sincere thanks to Minister Do Duc Duy for attentively listening to and fully considering the Italian side's proposals. He affirmed that the frank and constructive discussions held during today’s meeting represent an important step forward in enhancing the effectiveness of bilateral agricultural trade cooperation in the coming period.