Queen of the Netherlands visiting farms in Da Lat city in May 2017 (source: Zing)

With the support of the Dutch Government, since 2015 a group of training organizations from Vietnam and the Netherlands have come together to prepare for the establishment of the Fresh Academy. The long-term goal is to provide training in all key areas of agricultural production throughout the country.

The Fresh Academy offers practical training sessions for private sector organizations (farmers/producers, distributors/traders, retailers and service providers) as well as the public sector and NGOs active within the agricultural sector.

Dutch partners include HAS University, Wageningen University, Lentiz Group, Demonursery Westland, and Kenlog BV. On the Vietnamese side are Fresh Studio and four agriculture and forestry universities: Da Lat University, Dong Thap University, the Ho Chi Minh City Agriculture and Forestry University, and the Vietnam National University of Agriculture.

At the launch ceremony, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Vietnam, H.E. Nienke Trooster, congratulated those involved in the establishment of Fresh Academy and said that this is a great opportunity for farmers and agricultural enterprises in Vietnam and the Netherlands to exchange experience to develop sustainable agriculture.

“This is the start and there are some obstacles ahead,” she said. “But we are convinced that successful models such as Fresh Academy will provide the basis for the success of Vietnam’s agricultural sector in the years to come.”

Vietnam and the Netherlands have close cooperative relations in agriculture. Water, agriculture, and climate change were the most important matters discussed during the official visit by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to the country in July.

The two signed a strategic partnership agreement in sustainable agriculture and food security in 2014, involving Dutch help in responding to climate change, among other things.

The Netherlands is also among the largest European investors in Vietnam, ranking eleventh out of the 119 countries and territories investing in the country, with 287 projects worth USD 7.7 billion.