The event, themed “Fruits and food: New trade opportunities for Vietnam and India”, was jointly held by the Vietnamese Embassy in India and the Indian Importers Chambers of Commerce and Industry (IICCI), gathering more than 100 importers, exporters and trade associations from the two countries.
In her speech, Shubhra emphasised that in recent years, India has emerged as one of the largest trading partners in the world for fruits and farm produce.
India is fully capable of providing many types of fruits and agricultural products that Vietnam is importing from across the world, such as pomegranates, grapes, wheat and cotton, which are also products of India’s strengths, she said.
The official spoke highly of Vietnamese fruits and farm produce such as dragon fruit, coffee, cocoa and cashew nuts, noting that Vietnam and India both have great potential in the agricultural sector and that plenty of room remains to promote stronger and more effective bilateral cooperation in the field.
Vietnam is striving to become an agro-processing centre by 2030, this goal can help the two countries to develop stronger and more meaningful cooperation, Shubhra said, emphasising that Vietnam and India have a lot to learn from each other and can support each other to create a two-way trade process that benefits both countries.
Like the United States and China, India also wishes to become a leading trading partner of Vietnam, she affirmed.
At the seminar, Vietnamese Ambassador to India Pham Sanh Chau introduced some of Vietnam’s typical agricultural products such as coffee, tea, cocoa, cashew nuts and coconut water. He asked the Indian side to create favourable conditions, remove tariff and non-tariff barriers, and simplify administrative procedures in order to facilitate the two countries’ access to each other’s markets. The ambassador urged India to open its market for a number of Vietnamese fruits such as longan, grapefruit, durian and rambutan.
Chau hailed the forum as a good opportunity to connect Indian and Vietnamese associations and businesses in the area of fruit and food. Vietnamese exporters can directly contact Indian businesses or can approach Indian importers through IICCI, he said, affirming that the embassy will continue to optimise resources to facilitate trade and promptly remove difficulties for the two countries’ enterprises.
The seminar is part of a series of events within the framework of the India-Vietnam Business Forum 2020, which is organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in India, in coordination with relevant Indian agencies, to promote bilateral trade relations and devise new directions to help Vietnamese and Indian businesses overcome difficulties, challenges and the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
