Dutch experts speak at the event (Photo: VNA)HCM City (VNA) – Vietnam and the Netherlands are natural partnersin agriculture, especially hi-tech agriculture, since they have complementarystrengths, experts told a conference in Ho Chi Minh City on November 14.
Mirjam Boekestijn, Secretary of the Netherlands-Vietnam Horti BusinessPlatform, said agriculture is an important sector in both countries. Vietnam haslarge areas for farming and favourable conditions for growing a wide variety ofcrops, while Netherlands has experience in using technology in agriculture.
Despite its limited land for farming, Netherland is the world's second largestagricultural producer due to large investment in infrastructure and technology,which has improved its productivity, she added.
Dinh Minh Hiep, head of the Agricultural Hi-tech Park of HCM City, said Vietnamhas great export opportunities through its free trade agreements, but thesmall, scattered nature of its agriculture and the difficulty in monitoringfood safety are problems it faces.
For sustainable development and to improve efficiency and quality, itsproduction needs to be more focused and hi-tech, he said. Thus, hi-techagriculture is among the top priorities for the city.
Both countries have huge potential in the vegetable, flower and fruit segments,and tying up with leading Dutch agriculture businesses will offer Vietnamesebusinesses a good opportunity to acquire technologies, especially in the areasof cultivar research, harvest, storage, and processing, he said.
Representatives from business to the event said lack of land and resources is abig hurdle to adopting technology in agriculture, and the Government shouldhelp businesses in this regard.
The conference was organised by the Agricultural Hi-tech Park of HCM City,Saigon Innovation Hub and The Netherlands Vietnam Horti Business Platform./.
Mirjam Boekestijn, Secretary of the Netherlands-Vietnam Horti BusinessPlatform, said agriculture is an important sector in both countries. Vietnam haslarge areas for farming and favourable conditions for growing a wide variety ofcrops, while Netherlands has experience in using technology in agriculture.
Despite its limited land for farming, Netherland is the world's second largestagricultural producer due to large investment in infrastructure and technology,which has improved its productivity, she added.
Dinh Minh Hiep, head of the Agricultural Hi-tech Park of HCM City, said Vietnamhas great export opportunities through its free trade agreements, but thesmall, scattered nature of its agriculture and the difficulty in monitoringfood safety are problems it faces.
For sustainable development and to improve efficiency and quality, itsproduction needs to be more focused and hi-tech, he said. Thus, hi-techagriculture is among the top priorities for the city.
Both countries have huge potential in the vegetable, flower and fruit segments,and tying up with leading Dutch agriculture businesses will offer Vietnamesebusinesses a good opportunity to acquire technologies, especially in the areasof cultivar research, harvest, storage, and processing, he said.
Representatives from business to the event said lack of land and resources is abig hurdle to adopting technology in agriculture, and the Government shouldhelp businesses in this regard.
The conference was organised by the Agricultural Hi-tech Park of HCM City,Saigon Innovation Hub and The Netherlands Vietnam Horti Business Platform./.
VNA
