Opportunities for cooperation in preserving, processing and exportingfarm produce were discussed at a meeting held in the northern provinceof Bac Giang on June 25 between the Provincial People’s Committee and adelegation of representatives from ten different embassies.

Thedelegation, including diplomats from the embassies of Australia,Hungary, Russia, Rumania, Peru, the US, India, Morocco, Ukraine andSweden, was led by Pham Sanh Chau, Head of the External RelationsCulture Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Chau said the delegation’s visit would help the diplomats understandthe province’s farm produce and potential while contributing to boostingfriendship and cooperation between Bac Giang province and theembassies.

Speaking at the meeting, Do Quoc Tuan, Director of theprovincial Department of Foreign Affairs, gave an overview of the localsocio-economic context, potentials as well as the orientation forprovincial cooperation in the near future.

Bac Giang province ishome to Vietnam’s largest lychee cultivation area of 32,000 hectares,accounting for 73 percent of provincial orchard-growing area. The LucNgan lychee has been recognised by five countries, including Japan, theRepublic of Korea, China, Laos and Cambodia. At present, the lychee isexported to the US, Australia, France and Malaysia, and is highlyappreciated for its outstanding quality.

In a bid tocreate a competitive advantage for the lychee, the province needs toensure food safety and run promotion campaigns to expand the consumptionmarkets, the diplomats recommended.

They said the province should carefully assess foreign markets before exporting farm produce in order to prevent trade risks.

AustralianAmbassador to Vietnam Hugh Douglas Borowman highlighted that theapplication of modern technology in lychee preservation would help theVietnamese fruit gain a large share in the European market.

Inaddition to tapping into the potential of farm produce, Vijay Kumar fromthe Indian Embassy suggested the province develop eco-tourism,considering it as a key economic sector to lure more investment to thelocality.

Bac Giang province wants to boostinternational cooperation in a number of fields, including farm produceproduction and preservation, high-tech development, green-technologytransfer, eco-tourism development and high-quality workforce training,Duong Van Thai, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee,said.

He added that Bac Giang would continue to be a favourabledestination for enterprises, investors and international organisations.-VNA