Ho Chi Minh City hopes to receive support and cooperation from Australia in developing high-tech agriculture, especially in processing farm produce.

Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong made the statement at a reception for visiting Australian Minister for Agriculture Bridget McKenzie on August 30.

He said the city is developing high-tech agriculture and restructuring towards urban agriculture, so it wants to strengthen cooperation with Australia through transferring technology and sharing experience in the field.

The official asked Australia to support local agriculture exporters to improve packaging and preservation of products while controlling quality and food safety to access the market.

He proposed the Australian minister support experience sharing activities in developing high-tech agriculture between the two sides and make it easier for the entry of fruits and farm produce of Vietnam, particularly of the Mekong Delta and southeastern regions, to the market.

McKenzie said the relations between Australia and Vietnam are thriving in various fields, especially agriculture, adding that the bilateral cooperation in this field will also create a foundation for stronger collaboration in other realms such as environment and biological science research.

She said the two countries’ agricultural products are being sold in the respective markets and are likely to increase in both quality and value.

As Ho Chi Minh City is a key destination in the Vietnam-Australia agriculture cooperation strategy, the country is willing to share its experience and transfer technology to help the southern city ensure food safety as well as provide technical guidance for local farmers.

Australia is also ready to boost cooperation in connection activities for businesses and people of the two sides, she added.

Currently, with 182 projects worth 188 million USD, Australia is ranking 17th among the 106 countries and territories investing in the city.

In 2018, trade between the southern economic hub and Australia reached 1 billion USD and 507 million USD in the first six months of 2019.

Australia has been among the top 10 countries with the largest number of tourists to HCM City over the past years.