Viet Nam - Uganda seek new opportunities in coffee

On August 11 in Ha Noi, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep received and held talks with Frank K. Tumwebaze, Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries of Uganda.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep welcomed and highly appreciated Minister Tumwebaze’s visit. He said this was an important opportunity for the two sides to exchange views directly on agricultural development and to discuss directions for cooperation in the coming period.

The Deputy Minister emphasized that agriculture plays a crucial role in economic development, job creation, and the securing of livelihoods for people in both Viet Nam and Uganda. These similarities, combined with the respective strengths of the two countries, offer significant room for expanded cooperation based on complementarity and mutual benefit.

For Uganda, Minister Frank K. Tumwebaze affirmed that the two countries share many agricultural strengths, particularly in coffee production. He was impressed that Viet Nam’s current coffee yield reaches around 4 tons per hectare, compared with just over 1 ton per hectare in Uganda.

“We would like Viet Nam to share its experience and techniques in coffee cultivation, from seed production and improving yields to efficient, resource-saving production methods that minimize environmental impacts. Uganda is also interested in Viet Nam’s experience in rice production under different terrain conditions, the application of science and technology, and the development of agricultural models suited to local conditions,” Minister Tumwebaze said.

Responding to Uganda’s proposals, Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep said Viet Nam is ready to strengthen connections among specialized agencies, research institutes, experts and businesses from the two countries, initially focusing on the coffee value chain and other areas of agricultural strength.

Stronger business-to-business connections will help translate cooperation agreements into practical outcomes, particularly in processing, trade, investment and market development. Viet Nam is ready to facilitate market exploration and connect businesses from the two countries with suitable partners. This would provide a basis for expanding cooperation by linking agriculture with tourism, strengthening exchanges, and promoting products, production areas and cultural values.

“Throughout its development, Viet Nam has gradually shifted from a focus on production volume toward quality, value addition and sustainability. In practice, the value of agricultural products is not created solely on the farm but across the entire value chain, from production organization and the application of science and technology to processing, logistics, branding and market development.

The transition from exporting raw agricultural products to exporting value-added products is a journey that Viet Nam has undertaken, and we would like to accompany Uganda on this journey,” the Deputy Minister added.

Another mechanism proposed by Viet Nam is to strengthen South-South cooperation in agriculture, creating a channel for developing countries to share practical experiences, exchange solutions, and promote cooperation initiatives tailored to each country’s needs and conditions.

According to Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep, with its agricultural strengths and development needs, Uganda has significant potential to actively participate in this cooperation mechanism. Developing value chains, increasing added value, and leveraging the strengths of key agricultural commodities such as coffee could become key areas of South-South cooperation between Viet Nam and Uganda.