The meeting between Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Environment Do Duc Duy and Senator John Boozman, Chairman of the US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, on June 5 (Photo: VNA)  

Visiting Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Environment Do Duc Duy held separate meetings with Senator John Boozman, Chairman of the US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, and Representative Glenn GT Thompson, Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture on the afternoon of June 5 (local time).

During the discussions, Minister Duy highlighted that both Vietnam and the US possess significant agricultural strengths, not as direct competitors but as complementary partners, with potential for mutual support and development.

The official expressed his hope that the US would continue to open its market and maintain reasonable and balanced tariffs, enabling Vietnamese products to enter the American market smoothly and at prices acceptable to local consumers.

He noted that his delegation, comprising several department directors and around 30 Vietnamese businesses from sectors such as grain, meat, fertilisers, pesticides, and wood processing, has travelled to the US with the aim of exploring, connecting, and promoting agricultural trade opportunities. In their first two stops in Iowa and Ohio, numerous contracts and memoranda of understanding were signed, amounting to approximately 1.5 billion USD.

At their roundtable with the US-ASEAN Business Council on the afternoon in Washington D. C. on June 6 (local time), the Vietnamese firms are expected to seal deals for the import of an additional 1.1 billion USD worth of US farm produce.

Duy called on Boozman and Thompson to support the strong federal and state-level partnerships between the two countries’ agricultural agencies. He also sought their backing for increasing investment, production, and trade between Vietnamese and US businesses and industry associations. The minister added that Vietnam’s agricultural sector aspires to learn from and develop in line with the US model of green, circular, and sustainable agriculture with rational use of resources.

Senator Boozman described Vietnam as a reliable economic and trade partner, an economic ally for the US in the Asia-Pacific. He expressed his support for a fair and timely tariff agreement between the two governments and promised to forward the Vietnamese delegation’s proposals to relevant US Government agencies.

Representative Thompson also expressed particular interest in the agricultural trade deals secured during the minister’s trip. He voiced optimism about the future of bilateral agricultural cooperation and stressed the need for the US Government to swiftly address tariff concerns that could affect Vietnamese goods. He strongly backed agricultural collaboration at all levels, from government agencies to research institutes and universities in both countries.

The two congressional leaders extended invitations to Minister Duy to visit their states, Arkansas and Pennsylvania, both known for their robust farming industries, to explore investment opportunities and foster stronger ties./.