(VNF) - From October 12th-13th, agriculture and food safety experts from New Zealand’s leading science institutes will visit Hanoi to participate in a seminar to exchange ideas and explore opportunities for commercial collaboration to support Vietnam’s agriculture sector.

New Zealand experts from AsureQuality, AgResearch and Plant & Food Research will meet with relevant agencies, research institutions and businesses to discuss their expertise in food safety management, agriculture sector productivity and distribution networks.

Co-organised by the New Zealand Embassy in Vietnam, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, and the NZ Government to Government KnowHow Office, the seminar is being delivered as part of a new mode of cooperation between the two nations focusing on Government-to-Government commercial partnerships, which provide access to world-leading expertise and experience held by New Zealand Government entities.

Similar to Vietnam, agriculture and food sectors have been crucial to New Zealand’s economy. More than 80% of New Zealand’s total agricultural production is now exported. To get to this point New Zealand faced challenges around food safety and quality control, productivity, and distribution.

AsureQuality, AgResearch and Plant & Food Research have deep expertise and offer innovative solutions in agri-technology, horticulture, viticulture, food and food safety sectors. The agencies play a key role in ensuring that New Zealand’s agricultural sector is continuously innovating, through the delivery of new knowledge and technologies which underpin sustainable food value chains.

“Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has this week called for urgent reform of the agricultural sector in Vietnam to improve its competitiveness of the global stage, ahead of new trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). There will be huge opportunities for Vietnam’s agricultural sector as a result of these agreements but such opportunities can depend on having high quality systems and products and deep knowledge of building brands and marketing in overseas markets. New Zealand has done this successfully with a range of agricultural products, including dairy, fruit, meat, wine and others,” said New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam, Mr Haike Manning.

It is another important part of the partnership between New Zealand and Vietnam in the agriculture sector, and supports the work under way through the New Zealand’s development assistance program and the Food Safety Cooperation mechanism set up between the two Governments in March 2015./.

( VNF )