Danish firms willing to help enhance Vietnam food safety: minister
Danish firms willing to help enhance Vietnam food safety: minister
Dany Danish companies are interested in Vietnam’s food industry and willing to share their experience and technology to help it develop further to meet strict safety standards, a minister from Denmark said Monday.
There are around 139 Danish firms in Vietnam, most of which want to expand operation in this country of high potential, Denmark’s Minister for the Environment and Food Eva Kjer Hansen told reporters in Hanoi.
Minister Hansen is visiting Vietnam at the invitation of the Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to boost ties between the two countries, after Vietnam and Denmark signed a comprehensive partnership agreement in 2013.
The visit is also aimed at spurring trade in the wake of the Vietnam-EU free trade agreement, which was reached in August and is expected to be ratified in two years, as well as seeking cooperation in the fields of agriculture and food.
Danish businesses are hoping the Vietnam-EU trade pact will take effect soon so that they can tap the potential of the Vietnamese agriculture and food industries, Minister Hansen told reporters.
The free trade agreement will help deepen cooperation in agriculture and environmental issues between the two countries, she added.
Denmark has supplied assistance to many important programs dedicated to agriculture and rural development in Vietnam.
The two countries have witnessed positive changes in trade ties over the last few years, with their bilateral trade value topping US$450 million last year, according to the minister.
Two-way trade is expected to hit $500 million this year, up a massive 57 percent from 2014, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Vietnam mostly exports textile and garment products to Denmark and imports seafood from the North European country.
Also on Monday, the Danish minister had talks with Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat on cooperation and support in the agriculture and food sectors.
The Vietnamese minister suggested that Denmark help Vietnam improve food safety and hygiene in animal husbandry, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
Vietnam wishes to import good breeds of Danish swine, and learn from the North European country’s advanced animal husbandry technology, the minister said.
Minister Phat also recommended that Denmark create conditions for Vietnamese officials to visit the country to study its management experience and policies to develop aquaculture.
Minister Hansen responded by asking that Vietnam consider allowing Denmark to export beef to the country, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
