Vietnam and Canada: Advancing smart agriculture and emission reduction cooperation

On the afternoon of February 17, a delegation led by the Minister of Trade and Export Development of Saskatchewan, Canada, held a working session at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) of Vietnam. The delegation was headed by the Minister of Saskatchewan and included the Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam, Mr. Shawn Steil; Assistant Deputy Minister, Mr. Christian Kainz; Deputy Minister of Trade and Export Development, Ms. Jodi Bank; and Director General of Trade and Export Development, Mr. Ryan Cossitt.

The meeting centered on strengthening ties in agricultural trade, food security, sustainable agricultural development, and innovation promotion. Both sides also explored the possibility of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration between Saskatchewan and Vietnam in agricultural sectors of mutual interest.

In his remarks at the meeting, Deputy Minister Hoang Trung emphasized that the cooperation between Vietnam and Canada has made significant progress in recent years, particularly in the fields of agriculture and climate change adaptation. Similar to Saskatchewan, agriculture plays a pivotal role in Vietnam’s economy, with the sector growing by 3.3% in 2024 and export turnover reaching 62.5 billion USD.

Additionally, Canadian-funded projects and initiatives such as "Food Safety for Development" and "Smart Coastal Communities Adapting to Climate Change" have brought substantial benefits, enhancing Vietnam’s capacity to address environmental challenges.

The Deputy Minister further stated that Vietnam seeks to import certain goods for agricultural production, such as animal feed and fertilizers containing potassium, to support its crop cultivation sector. Vietnam also wishes to collaborate with Canada in the transfer of agricultural technologies, particularly those related to the development of climate-resilient crop and livestock varieties.

Currently, Vietnam imports over USD 10 billion in animal feed annually, yet only about USD 30 million of this comes from Canada. As such, there is significant potential for both nations to expand cooperation to ensure a stable supply and contribute to increasing bilateral trade.

Furthermore, Vietnam is focused on developing agricultural value chains and promoting advanced processing. This represents a key strategy to increase export value and meet the demands of international markets.

Continuing from the remarks of the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Minister of Saskatchewan also proposed expanding cooperation in four key areas: enhancing agricultural trade between the two countries, applying technology to minimize environmental impacts from agricultural production, developing and transferring climate-resilient crop and livestock varieties, and collaborating on research and the application of new agricultural technologies, along with sharing experiences for Vietnamese officials and farmers on advanced production processes.

Minister Warren emphasized that Saskatchewan is home to numerous advanced research institutions, including the Global Institute for Food Security, positioned at the University of Saskatchewan, and a leading center for human and animal vaccine research and production.

He also concured with Deputy Minister Hoang Trung that signing a MoU and strengthening collaboration among government agencies, research institutes, and businesses would create opportunities to further boost bilateral trade. The International Cooperation Department of MARD is the focal point to coordinate with the other side to draft and complete the signing procedures.

The Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam, Mr. Shawn Steil, affirmed that the two countries have established a strong agricultural partnership, enhancing resilience to global challenges and ensuring a stable supply chain. Additionally, Canada has supported Vietnam through major projects on food safety and the One Million Hectares of High-Quality, Low-Emission Rice initiative to ensure food security and promote sustainable development.

Saskatchewan is one of the leading provinces in agricultural production in Canada, often referred to as the "breadbasket of Canada". Agriculture plays a crucial role in the province's economy, accounting for over 41% of Saskatchewan's total export revenue.

The agricultural land covers 18 million hectares, which is about 40% of the province's total agricultural land area.