Vietnam is ready to become a bridge to help Switzerland access the ASEAN market

On April 24, Mr. Le Minh Hoan, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam had a bilateral dialogue with Mr. Christian Hofer, Director of the Federal Office for Agriculture of Switzerland upon his visit to Vietnam on the occasion of the fourth Global Conference on the One Planet Network’s Sustainable Food Systems Programme.

Vietnam always attaches importance to friendship and cooperation with Switzerland. After more than 50 years of establishing diplomatic relations, the two countries’ bilateral relations have developed actively in fields such as politics - diplomacy, economy, and science – technology. Switzerland is currently a very important economic partner of Vietnam in Europe.

“With the occurring climate changes and threats to global food security, I think the time has come for our planet to have events like this, creating a forum to share ideas and initiatives, calling on countries for a safe planet and sustainable food security. Vietnam is still a developing country, so it needs global open spaces to obtain valuable experiences in line with the needs and conditions of our country," said Minister Le Minh Hoan.

Mr. Christian Hofer expressed appreciation towards Minister Le Minh Hoan for having this bilateral meeting. 20 years ago he went to Vietnam, and this time, he was really surprised by the country’s miraculous changes and development. The leader of Switzerland’s agriculture sector said that he is very pleased to attend this conference as he continues to have the opportunity to further deepen the cooperation relationship with Vietnam in the global food development network.

Potential bridge for Switzerland to expand the market in the ASEAN region

Switzerland is currently the 6th largest European investor in Vietnam with a total investment of about 2 billion USD, focusing on the processing, manufacturing, electricity and agro-processing industries. I think there is still a lot of room to strengthen cooperation.

Vietnam has advantages in the production and export of agricultural, forestry and fishery products. Vietnam's exports of agricultural, forestry and fishery products are currently ranked 15th in the world, reaching USD 53.22 billion in 2022, up 9.3% compared to 2021 with a trade surplus of over USD 8.5 billion.

Vietnam becomes the source of the world coffee market, a potential market domestically with a population of nearly 100 million people and a stable economic growth of 6-7 %/year. Vietnam is also the gateway to the Southeast Asian market of 650 million people with a very dynamic growing economy.

The fact that Vietnam has been chosen to host the fourth Global Conference on Sustainable Food Systems - One Planet Network once again clearly demonstrates the responsibility of Vietnam and the “Vietnam Agriculture” brand to the international community as a "transparent, responsible and sustainable food supplier".

The 2021 – 2024 Vietnam and Switzerland Cooperation Program (worth 70 million Swiss francs, equivalent to nearly USD 76 million) will help Vietnam achieve sustainable and market-oriented growth. Minister Le Minh Hoan proposed both sides continue the cooperation in programs and projects to support the agricultural industry, build a value chain of high-standard agricultural products to access the international market, firstly Switzerland.

Four important contents Vietnam wishes to receive support from Switzerland

On the occasion of the meeting, Minister Le Minh Hoan mentioned that he had just received a delegation of overseas Vietnamese businesses from Switzerland. The businesses proposed to set up a "Vietnam organic certification center" so that agro-product trade could further reach Switzerland, and from there spread to other markets.

The Vietnam MARD Minister asked Switzerland to support and promote the establishment of this center. The center’s main function is to provide training, testing and certification services to farmers, food manufacturers, building “Bio cores” in Vietnam, promoting organic and sustainable agricultural practices in Vietnam.

Secondly, the leader of Vietnam’s agricultural sector proposed the Swiss side support the Mekong Delta region to develop sustainably, mitigate climate change, combat saltwater intrusion, and effectively manage water resources. The Mekong Delta is a key production area that helps Vietnam confidently participate in the world rice market and promote food security. However, in recent years, climate change has become a serious problem in this region.

Thirdly, Minister Le Minh Hoan suggested Switzerland pay attention to building technical assistance programs so that Vietnam's agricultural, forestry and fishery exports can meet the new standards, access international markets, and further develop the commodity chain.

Fourthly, he asked for the approach to link agro-product value chains, provide technical assistance to private enterprise organizations, production facilities, and production cooperatives to help improve the competitiveness of private enterprises. The goal is to bring Vietnamese specialty agro-product brands out to the world.

"The proposal of Minister Le Minh Hoan is also in line with the development orientation of Switzerland as we have many projects to support businesses. Once Vietnam ensures investment security, investors will invest in Vietnam with full confidence and trust, thus promoting the development of both sides’ agriculture. We believe that the cooperation of the two countries is a good opportunity to promote cooperation with each other and find the most beneficial solutions," said Mr. Christian Hofer.