A workshop was held in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang on April 2 to discuss the creation of hi-tech agricultural value chains between Vietnam and Australia.

The export of farm, forestry and fishery products in March reached 3.1 billion USD, bringing the total export value of the items in the first quarter of this year to 8.7 billion USD, a rise of 9.6 percent from the same quarter in 2017, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong highlighted Vietnam’s determination to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and build a sustainable aquaculture during his recent talks with European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella.

Vietnamese and US agricultural experts and policy makers gathered at a recent workshop in Arlington city of the US’s Virginia State to seek ways to boost export of Vietnamese agricultural products.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong has paid a four-day trip to the European Union and Belgium to promote agricultural cooperation with the two partners and demonstrate Vietnam’s efforts to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Vietnamese agro-forestry-fishery and handicraft products have been introduced at the 51st Cairo International Fair that opened on March 14 in Egypt’s capital city, drawing visitors and businesses, especially those from the Middle East and North Africa.

The central province of Binh Dinh is carrying out a project on hi-tech shrimp farming to raise export value.

Vietnam and the European Union (EU) are likely to sign the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) soon, Daniel Muller, ASEAN Regional Manager for the German Asia-Pacific Business Association, said in an interview granted to Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reporters in Germany.

Vietnam launched a stall at the 43rd International Food and Beverage Exhibition (Foodex 2018) that opened in the Japanese prefecture of Chiba on March 6.

Vietnam’s seafood export turnover hit 1.11 billion USD in the first two months of 2018, posting a year-on-year increase of 29.5 percent.

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) has proposed urgent measures to tackle the European Commission’s illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) yellow card in March as the EU will assess Vietnam’s efforts to fight IUU fishing in April.

The Dong Thap province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will earmark over 2,000 hectares of land for farming giant river prawns, most of it in Tam Nong, Thanh Binh, and Cao Lanh districts and Hong Ngu town.

Close to 20 businesses from Vietnam and France gathered at a forum in Paris on February 26 to exchange know-how in organic agricultural production.

Vietnam has sent a diplomatic note to oppose a seafood import suspension imposed recently by Saudi Arabia, calling on the country to withdraw its decision.

Export turnover of agro-forestry-aquatic products in February 2018 was estimated at 2.6 billion USD, raising the total value in the first two months of 2018 to 6.1 billion USD, up 30.2 percent against the same period last year.