A workshop was held in New Delhi, India on September 29 to promote Vietnamese agricultural products in the country. The event, jointly organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the Embassy of Vietnam in India and the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), forms part of activities of the MARD’s 2015 trade promotion programme. It hosted FIEO President S. C Rathan, MARD Deputy Minister Vu Van Tam, Vietnamese Ambassador to India Ton Sinh Thanh and representatives from Indian and Vietnamese enterprises. Addressing the event, FIEO President S.C. Ralhan reiterated that Vietnam is an important partner of India in the Southeast Asian region, adding that bilateral trade between the two nations has increased year-on-year. Vietnam has actively participated in a number of regional forums such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the East Asian Summit (EAS), the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation Organisation, the Asian European Meeting (ASEM) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO), he said. He also expressed his impressions of Vietnam as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies from 1990-2010, saying that young population and strong and active economic growth have made Vietnam one of the most attractive destinations for foreign investment. The FIEO President also pledged to support Vietnamese enterprises entering the host market. For his part, Deputy Minister Vu Van Tam hailed India’s role in the trade and growth of Vietnam’s economy in general and agricultural sector in particular. The Government of Vietnam has continuously offered incentives for domestic trade promotion activities to boost bilateral and multilateral cooperation with international partners, including Indian firms, according to Tam. The Deputy Minister also expressed his hope that the host would facilitate agricultural export in both countries. Meanwhile, Ambassador Ton Sinh Thanh highlighted the trade and investment potential between the two nations. He suggested the two governments develop a comprehensive agricultural cooperation programme as well as boost business exchanges for mutual benefit. During the event, representatives of Vietnamese enterprises briefed the hosts on the production and export of coffee, tea and dragon fruit in Vietnam. In an interview granted to Vietnam News Agency correspondents at the workshop, Tam underlined the potential for the two nations’ cooperation in agriculture, saying that the sector has been buoyed by traditional friendship and cooperative ties. Over recent years, India has provided support for Vietnam in training human resources and technology transfer in animal farming and other fields, Tam said. The 2.26-billion-people market of India offers huge potential for Vietnamese agricultural products such as tea, coffee, dragon fruit and aquatic products, he said. Vietnamese aquatic products have been shipped to Japan, the EU, the US and the Republic of Korea. They are expected to enter the Indian market and contribute to fostering economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and India, Tam said.-VNA