A round table conference on the establishment of the Vietnam –Netherlands Cooperation Forum was held on March 27 in Hanoi to intensifycooperation in the field of fruit and vegetables between the twocountries.

The establishment is in line with thetwo sides’ expectation, bringing about new opportunities for the twosides’ agricultural cooperation, said Deputy Minister of Agriculture andRural Development Vu Van Tam.

Although Vietnam isone of the world’s five leading exporters of fruit and vegetables, thesector does not reflect the country’s potentiality and strengths, whichrequires support from governmental agencies, state-owned enterprises andinternational organisations, he added.

For hispart, Netherlands Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs, Agriculture andInnovation Hans Hoogreveen expressed his hope that the private sectorwill take initiative in the cooperation forum focusing on training,processing and technology for sustainable development and climate changeadaptation.

At the event, Director of the VietnamFruit and Vegetable Research Institute Trinh Khac Quang made severalsuggestions to further both sides’ cooperation and research in thefield.

Vietnam now exports its fruit and vegetablesto 40 countries and territories. In 2012, the export turnover of fruitand vegetables topped 800 million USD.

The two sides are expected to sign a cooperation agreement on the field on March 28.-VNA