Denmark seeks to enhance food production dialogue, supply chain with Vietnam

Danish Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Jacob Jensen is leading a high-level delegation to visit Vietnam from May 14-16, aiming to intensify high-level policy dialogues with Vietnamese counterparts with a focus on a more sustainable food production and a resource-efficient supply chain.

Minister Jensen on Tuesday signed an MoU with his Vietnamese counterpart Le Minh Hoan on extending the Strategic Sector Cooperation (SSC) Food program between the two governments.

For the coming years, the cooperation will have increased focus on the green transition of food and agricultural production to promote a more sustainable and resilient food system.

The minister’s visit to Vietnam this time, the second Danish high-level visit within two months, has also been accompanied by Danish companies and producers who own world's leading solutions in food production and processing, storages, optimizing the use of food and agriculture resources, and drainage and water techniques.

Vietnam is an attractive destination for Danish businesses in the agricultural sector, the Danish Embassy said in a statement. At present, Denmark is one of the EU countries with highest export per capita to Vietnam and the agri-food sector constitutes approximately half of total Danish exports to the Southeast Asian country.

“Vietnam has become an important and attractive market for Danish businesses and investors. Although Vietnam and Denmark are geographically very far from each other, we are facing many of the same challenges and we have to continue working together to find ways to use resources effectively. In a smart way to increase competiveness and sustainability,” said Jensen.

During his visit in southern Vietnam, Minister Jensen will visit Food Bank Vietnam, an important partner for the efforts to combat food waste and food loss. He will also pay site visits to a catfish aqua-farm in Tien Giang and an aqua-feed factory in Ben Tre, where close partnerships between Vietnamese and Danish research institutions and companies promote the use of new green technologies and solutions for sustainable aquaculture production in Vietnam.

On his last day of the visit, the Minister will deliver a keynote speech at the seminar on “Sustainable agri-food production – Danish innovative technologies and financing opportunities.”

The seminar will provide a forum to connect and facilitate exchange of experiences, technologies, financing and business opportunities between authorities, local decision-makers, sector managers as well as Danish and Vietnamese entrepreneurs.