Mozambique expects Vietnam to exchange technology for cashew processing

A delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, led by Deputy Minister Nguyen Quoc Tri, met with Mozambique's Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Olegário dos Anjos Banze in the capital city of Maputo on the afternoon of May 29. The two parties discussed agricultural cooperation initiatives and future cooperation prospects.

Vice Minister Nguyen Quoc Tri briefed his counterpart on Vietnam's agricultural achievements in recent years. Vietnam, which suffered from an acute food shortage in the 1980s, has since become the world's largest rice producer and exporter. The finest rice in the world has been awarded to Vietnamese rice, among other significant accolades.

Assessing agricultural cooperation with Mozambique, Deputy Minister Nguyen Quoc Tri stated that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has implemented several significant cooperation activities with the country, including the agricultural project for 2013-2018.

"Mozambique has a favorable climate and horizontal land for agricultural development, but its irrigation system is almost devoid of investment and its farming techniques are still antiquated, resulting in some challenges for agricultural development. We have a great deal of experience and are ahead of the curve on this issue in Vietnam, so we are willing to cooperate and share," said Deputy Minister Nguyen Quoc Tri.

Regarding the proposal for cooperation phase 2 of the project "Cooperation in research and development of food crops in Mozambique for the period 2013-2017", the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development has informed the Prime Minister. The Government of Vietnam had authorized the Ministry of Planning and Investment to oversee the project's evaluation and approval after approving the implementation of phase 2 of the project.

MARD is actively collaborating with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Mozambique to develop the content and finalize the certification procedures by Vietnamese regulations.

During 2010-2014, Vietnam and Mozambique participated in numerous technical assistance initiatives, such as the South-South cooperation project (Vietnam - Japan - Mozambique).

The project "Cooperation in research and development of food crops in Mozambique" with a total budget of VND 47,6 billion (USD 2,17 million) was implemented in Mozambique with the support of the Vietnamese government. Within the framework of the project, Vietnam has provided Mozambique with numerous rice, soybean, and sweet potato cultivars, among others, to assist the country in increasing production, ensuring cultivation in the context of climate change, ensuring food security, and boosting people's incomes.

Vietnam is willing to assist Mozambique in the training of agricultural specialists and pupils (rice, fisheries), as stated by Deputy Minister Nguyen Quoc Tri. Nonetheless, the two parties must enlist the assistance of third parties, such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Japan, and the South-South cooperation program.

The Deputy Minister also proposed that the two ministries strengthen cooperation in the fields of agricultural trade (Vietnam: rice, sugar cane, soybeans, processed cashew nuts, aquatic products, grains, fertilizers, vegetables; Mozambique: wood, raw cashews, seafood, cotton); connection for businesses to cooperate, joint venture and trade exchange; and study the model of the joint venture between enterprises of the two sides in the fields of rice and cashew.

In addition, the approval process must be expedited so that the rice and agricultural commodities project can be implemented as early as 2024. The two parties must examine and contemplate developing an action plan to implement the August 2017 Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the conservation and preservation of wild animals and plants.

On behalf of Mozambique, Deputy Minister Olegário dos Anjos Banze expressed gratitude for Vietnam's valuable support, not only in the agricultural sector but also in the projects of sending Vietnamese education and health experts as well as Vietnamese telecommunications enterprises to invest and develop telecommunications services in Mozambique.

As much as 70% of Mozambique's population resides in rural areas, agricultural and rural development policies have always been a priority, as stated by the minister. 

Vice-Minister Banze expressed his desire to continue receiving assistance from Vietnam and to learn from Vietnam's experience in numerous sectors, such as cashew processing. He stated that Mozambique is looking forward to more Vietnamese companies arriving and exchanging knowledge and technology in cashew processing, one of the country's top agricultural development priorities.

In addition, Deputy Minister Banze expressed his desire to learn from Vietnam's experience in the construction and management of irrigation and drainage systems, as well as the utilization of available food commodities to produce animal fodder and the development of the dairy industry, among others.