Vietnam - Belgium Agricultural Strategic Partnership: focusing on practicality

During Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's official visit to Belgium and participation in the EU - ASEAN Summit in Brussels, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan organized several activities to promote effectiveness of Vietnam and Belgium's agricultural strategic partnership.

Many important agricultural cooperation contents have been exchanged between the Vietnam and Belgium, and the parnership will be promoted further in the near future. The two parties acknowledged the positive results gained from the first 5 years of the Agricultural Strategic Partnership.

Belgium demonstrated support for the strong and effective development of a strategic agricultural partnership between the two parties, and proposed the establishment of a Joint Working Group to promptly deploy specific cooperation projects.

Vietnam requested Belgium to support the development of the circular agricultural economic model and smart agriculture; support solutions to respond to saltwater intrusion and drought in the Mekong Delta; support the implementation of the National Strategy on Green Growth from 2021 to 2030 towards sustainable, environmentally friendly development and adaptation to climate change.

Furthermore, the two parties agreed to promote a tripartite cooperation mechanism with African countries, with financial and logistic support provided by Belgium, to jointly deal with global food security issues.

On this occasion, Minister Le Minh Hoan and Minister David Clarival signed a Memorandum of Understanding on strengthening bilateral cooperation in the field of food safety for agricultural products, and animal and plant quarantine. The signing was observed by the Prime Ministers as well as high-level officials of the two countries. This Memorandum of Understanding will continue to promote substantive cooperation between the two ministries and the agricultural sectors of the two countries.

The Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) is an union of six separate agencies that were previously part of the Belgian Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health. The consolidation of these 6 separate agencies under the management of the Belgian Ministry of Agriculture has significantly increased the efficiency of food safety management in Belgium.

FASFC's main mission is to ensure that all actors in the food value chain ensure the best supply in terms of reliability, safety, and risk prevention for food and related ingredients to consumers. as well as related and potential partners.

FASFC aims to ensure the implementation of food safety legislation within the EU as well as Belgium. There are currently 1,400 staffs employed at FASFC working under functional blocks on control policy, enforcement of safety control throughout the food value chain, 5 laboratories and associated support services. All FASFC staffs are under the unified management of the National Authority.

FASFC is organized and capable of applying modern technology, helping to ensure safety throughout the food chain in the most effective manner, in addition to optimizing the performance of actors in the product value chain.

The core values ​​that FASFC is aiming for include: professionalism, integrity, respect, fairness, openness and trust. With the recent Memorandum of Understanding between the two ministries, FASFC will strengthen cooperation and exchange information on expertise, organization, operation, and support Vietnam to innovate its food safety management system according to the value chain in the near future.