Czech Minister of Agriculture Marek Vyborny speaks at the forum. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Quoc Tri emphasised that the relations between the two countries have been continuously strengthened and developed over the past seven decades, and positive progress have been recorded in agricultural cooperation.

He expressed the hope that the Czech Republic will support Vietnam in implementing the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance, and Trade (FLEGT) between Vietnam and the European Union (EU), and strengthen cooperation with the Southeast Asian nation in managing sustainable forest resources, implementing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and promoting legal trade of timber and forest products.

“We hope that the Czech Republic will recognise Vietnam's efforts in fighting illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU), and lend its support to urge the European Commission (EC) to lift its “yellow card” warning against Vietnamese seafood exports,” Tri said.

Vyborny said he welcomes the enhanced cooperation in agriculture, food industry, and water resource management between Vietnam and the Czech Republic, saying that his country aims to promote education and training in the agriculture sector.

During this visit, representatives from the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague may connect with educational and training institutions in Vietnam regarding agriculture, forestry, and sustainable use of agricultural products in Vietnam, he said.

According to Vyborny, Vietnamese partners are eager to penetrate the Czech market and demonstrate their interest in traditional sectors of the European nation such as beer, meat, spirit, and confectionery production, agricultural technology, food industry, animal husbandry technology, and veterinary products.

Vietnam's export turnover to the Czech Republic is about 10 times higher than the latter's exports to the Southeast Asian nation. Therefore, in the coming time, Vietnam may support the Czech Republic in exporting meat products, and the two sides can soon reach consensus on veterinary requirements and food safety standards for products from the Czech Republic, the minister said.

He suggested the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam send a working delegation to the Czech Republic as soon as possible to assess livestock production and epidemiology.

The Czech Republic is keen on expanding cooperation with Vietnam in farming because it has one of the world's most reputable companies in exporting seeds of grass and vegetables, and new plant varieties, which bring high profits to growers, he added.