During a working trip to Ohio, the United States, a delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam led by Minister Do Duc Duy worked with state leaders and local businesses. During a bilateral meeting with Ohio Secretary of Agriculture Brian Baldridge, the two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the agricultural sector, especially trade in highly complementary agricultural products. One of the notable results was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Vietnamese and Ohio businesses on the import of animal feed ingredients, with a total value of more than 600 million USD. The main items include corn, soybeans, soybean meal and preparations for the livestock industry.
According to Mr. Baldridge, the trade relationship between Vietnam and the United States, especially with Ohio, has strong potential for development thanks to mutual complementarity: Vietnam has strengths in tropical agricultural products such as coffee, pepper, cashew nuts, fruits and wooden furniture. Meanwhile, Ohio can supply temperate products such as soybeans, corn, beef, milk and raw wood - products that Vietnam has little advantage in large-scale production.
This cooperation not only helps diversify supply sources, ensure quality and clear traceability, but also creates new opportunities for farmers, businesses and consumers of the two countries. Representatives of associations and businesses all expressed their hope that the governments of both sides will continue to support and create favorable conditions for the development of sustainable agricultural supply chains.
Vietnamese businesses expand partnerships and opportunities in the US
At the Vietnam-Ohio business connection conference, many Vietnamese businesses directly met, learned about and established partnerships with US suppliers in the fields of livestock raw materials, lumber, fruit and meat.
Ms. Patty Mann – President of the Ohio Corn Trade Association – assessed Vietnam as one of the reliable and potential export markets.
She said that expanding cooperation will help Ohio continue to bring high-quality agricultural products to the world, while contributing to the common goal of global food security.
Previously, during the working trip to Iowa, Vietnamese enterprises also signed memorandums of understanding with a total value of up to 800 million USD on agricultural product imports, and established a dialogue channel between the Department of Livestock Production, the Department of Animal Health of Vietnam and the Iowa Pork Producers Association, promoting public-private cooperation between the two countries in the fields of livestock production and food safety.