Uzbekistan seeks to learn from Vietnam's expertise in sericulture

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien stated that the Vietnam-Uzbekistan friendship has improved significantly in recent years. Since 2017, the two nations have strengthened cooperation in rice, silk, and aquaculture. Every year, Vietnam sends professionals to perform surveys, provide advice on breeding varieties, and create agricultural models. The Research Institute for Aquaculture I, the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and the Agricultural Academy have worked together to complete a number of projects.

Deputy Minister Kasimov Elzat stated that Uzbekistan values its agricultural cooperation with Vietnam and wishes to expand it. Agricultural cooperation is one of the main focus factors in ties with Vietnam.

The agriculture industry accounts for 30% of Uzbekistan's overall GDP. After reviewing the existing condition of cooperation between the two countries, Mr. Elzat observed that Uzbekistan's exports to Vietnam are very minor in comparison to other nations. Vietnam has a well-developed agricultural industry, thus Uzbekistan wishes to learn from their experiences and practices for improving the quality and production of agricultural goods.

The Uzbek Deputy Minister recommended that both parties form joint working groups to identify and design next measures, as well as to strengthen bilateral collaboration.

Uzbekistan appointed the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Trade, and Tourism, emphasizing that he is the head of the research institute and has made numerous contributions to the agricultural sector; he is also the head of Uzbekistan's silk industry and will participate in the group.

"We are eager to learn from Vietnam's experience in silk manufacturing. We have taken the initial steps toward collaborating with Vietnamese enterprises. "I am confident that we will achieve good results with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's assistance," Mr. Elzat stated.

Vietnam has dispatched many expert delegations to Uzbekistan over the last three years to collaborate on rice cultivation. Vietnamese rice professionals and scientists collaborated with Uzbekistan to produce around 20 types of Vietnamese rice. Mr. Elzat wishes to continue getting Vietnamese help.

Mr. Elzat has also offered fishing as an area of collaboration. Uzbekistan has made significant progress in this industry over the last six years, but its output remains low in comparison to Vietnam and is insufficient to supply domestic demand.

Furthermore, crop production is an industry that demands further collaboration owing to the abundance of opportunities for import and export expansion. Mr. Elzat stated that Uzbekistan is stepping up its efforts to solve concerns of epidemiological hygiene and agricultural safety, and that it is ready to offer agricultural goods such as cherries, apples, almonds, apricots, and pomegranates to Vietnam.

In response to the proposals of Uzbekistan's Deputy Minister of Investment and Trade, Kasimov Elzat, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien proposed that both sides study, negotiate, and move toward signing agriculture/rice cooperation agreements, as well as other agreements to facilitate trade exchanges and agricultural cooperation between the countries.

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien advised that both sides work together to promote rice agriculture by deploying technical support staff or bringing Uzbekistan's rice varieties to Vietnam for trial planting. Uzbekistan can then engage in seed multiplication to increase production.

In the aquaculture industry, several Vietnamese fish varieties (such as ornamental carp and catfish) can be introduced for trial farming in Fergana province and other Uzbek places. In addition, Vietnam will deploy professionals to give technical advice and teach local workers in seed production, commercial fish farming in ponds and cages, and small-scale feed manufacturing.

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien underlined the need for both sides to promote silk cooperation, such as silk breeding, weaving, and trade in silk goods, given Vietnam's silk industry's recent growth.

Technical collaboration between Vietnam and Uzbekistan: 

-On March 1, 2018, the Vietnam Academy of Agriculture and Tashkent State Agrarian University (Tashkent State Agrarian University) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate in teaching and scientific research.

- On February 9th, 2017, the Research Institute for Aquaculture I signed a memorandum of cooperation in aquaculture development with the Uzbekistan Aquaculture Development Experimental Center; on July 14th, 2017, a memorandum of understanding was signed with Temir Yollari Uzbekistan Company; and on March 5th, 2018, a trilateral cooperation memorandum was signed between the Research Institute for Aquaculture I, the Uzbekistan Rice Research Institute, and the "Qaraqalpaqbaliqsanoat Ltd." Company.

- In 2019, you also provided us a draft cooperation agreement on rice and aquaculture. Both parties have yet to identify financing sources for long-term collaboration projects and activities.

- From 2019 to 2022, the Vietnamese Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development dispatched four rice and aquaculture expert delegations to study and advise on agricultural and rice development in Uzbekistan's Khorezm region and other locations.