At the signing ceremony
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The letter was signed by Le Quoc Doanh, MARD deputy minister, and Peter Horne, ACIAR’s general manager for country programmes, on the sidelines of the APEC Food Security Week now underway in the Mekong city of Can Tho.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Doanh said that many joint projects between ACIAR and Vietnam had added value to Vietnamese agricultural products, and had enhanced Vietnam’s agribusiness sector and capacity of scientists and researchers.
"The signing of the letter of intent today is the result of great bilateral cooperation, with joint efforts from researchers and policymakers on both sides," Doanh added. Horne said the new partnership would have mutual benefits for both countries.
The strategy will guide future programmes in collaborative research, including research themes, geographic foci and funding priorities from 2017 to 2027.
In the next decade, ACIAR will cooperate with MARD and other partners to continue assisting Vietnam in addressing obstacles to agricultural development under six research areas: food safety, climate change, soil fertility improvement and crop efficiency, better market engagement, and improvement of value from forests and aquaculture.
ACIAR will implement research all across Vietnam, focusing on the Mekong Delta, Central Highlands and northwest Highlands.
Collaborative projects will focus on highly applicable practices, creating opportunities for women to participate in and benefit from research, agri-business systems and on-farm activities. Vietnam and Australia enjoy a strong and mutually beneficial relationship, with two-way trade worth over 10 billion AUD (7.9 billion USD) annually.
