Officials seek to boost agricultural trade between Vietnamese, Chinese localities

Workers handle mango for export at the Hoang Phat Fruit Co. Ltd in Chau Thanh district, Long An province (Photo: VNA)

LongAn (VNA) – Trade officials from Vietnam’s northern border province ofLao Cai and Honghe county of the neighbouring Chinese province of Yunnan visitedthe Mekong Delta province of Long An on April 23, seeking to form partnershipswith local agricultural production, processing, and exporting companies.

Thedelegation from the Lao Cai Department of Industry and Trade and the Honghecommerce division made a fact-finding tour of some member businesses of theLong An Dragon Fruit Association in Chau Thanh district, a rice processing firmin Thu Thua district, and a lime processing company in Ben Luc district.

ChauThi Le, Deputy Director of the Long An Department of Industry and Trade, saidher province is home to a wide range of agricultural products such as rice,dragon fruit, seedless lime, banana, and watermelon. In 2021 and 2022 each, itexported about 646,250 tonnes of rice to 40 countries and territories, mainlyChina, Hong Kong (China), Singapore, and Malaysia. Last year, China purchased36.35% of Long An’s total rice export volume.

Officials from Lao Cai province and Honghe county of China's Yunnan province visit the Hoang Phat Fruit Co. Ltd in Chau Thanh district. (Photo: VNA)

Theprovince cultivates more than 9,900ha of dragon fruit, producing 256,800 tonnesannually. Over 80% of the total output is shipped to nearly 20 foreign markets.The fruit is exported to China via border gates in Lang Son and Lao Caiprovinces.

Meanwhile,there is over 11,800ha of lime across Long An, generating 184,322 tonnes eachyear. Local lime has been exported to China, some other Asian countries, andEurope, according to Le.

TheHonghe commerce division said Yunnan province is working to improve thebusiness climate, develop the Hekou digital border gate, and streamline exportand import procedures to facilitate customs clearance for agricultural productsand by-products. Therefore, it is necessary to connect businesses of Honghecounty with Vietnamese localities with large farming areas.

Thiswas also an occasion for Long An to help local agricultural production firmsand cooperatives to boost trade with domestic and foreign markets, therebyhelping promote that between Vietnam - China in 2023 and the following years./.

VNA