Viet Nam, Belarus agricultural trade targets US$ 100 million by 2027

On October 28 in Hanoi, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep met with Belarus’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food, Ivan Smilgin, who also serves as Director of the Department of Plant and Animal Quarantine, to discuss boosting agricultural cooperation and opening markets.

The meeting aimed to prepare key areas of cooperation ahead of the Belarusian President’s expected visit to Viet Nam this December. Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep noted that the agricultural sectors of the 2 countries are highly complementary. However, bilateral agricultural trade reached only approximately USD 10 million in 2025, a sharp decline from its peak of around USD 90 million in 2021, falling well short of the two countries’ cooperation potential.

“This demonstrates that there remains enormous untapped potential between our two countries, particularly if external factors such as the Russia - Ukraine conflict, the global economic slowdown, and conflicts in the Gulf region did not affect bilateral trade,” Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep emphasized.

Viet Nam is seeking to expand exports of seafood and other key agricultural products, including coffee, fruits, and vegetables. According to Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep, Viet Nam’s annual seafood exports to global markets amount to approximately USD 10 billion, yet exports to Belarus remain relatively modest.

The Deputy Minister noted that seafood is one of Viet Nam’s key agricultural export products, accounting for a significant share of the country’s exports to Belarus. However, only 47 Vietnamese seafood processing facilities are currently authorized to export to the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Meanwhile, about 120 eligible facilities and enterprises have submitted applications but have not yet received approval to export seafood to the EAEU market.

In addition, 8 facilities with temporarily suspended export authorizations have submitted explanations and corrective measures but have not yet received a response. Furthermore, 8/77 facilities that applied to expand their approved product categories are still awaiting EAEU authorization.

The Deputy Minister called on Belarus to work with Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union to facilitate market access for Vietnamese seafood enterprises, particularly by approving additional qualified seafood processing facilities for export to the EAEU.

Viet Nam also expressed its hope that Belarus would provide information and guidance on the procedures required to export processed chicken products to the Belarusian market.

Deputy Minister Ivan Smilgin affirmed: "Belarus supports and stands ready to facilitate Vietnamese goods' access to the Belarusian market and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU)." According to him, Vietnamese seafood enterprises already included on the list of approved exporters to Russia are also eligible to export to Belarus without undergoing additional inspections.

Mr. Ivan Smilgin urged Vietnam to expedite the review of applications concerning poultry meat and meat and bone meal. He expressed hope that completing the necessary procedures ahead of the Belarusian President's upcoming visit would mark significant progress in bilateral agricultural cooperation.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep proposed organizing business networking activities for agricultural enterprises during the forthcoming high-level visit. He also outlined a target of achieving at least USD 100 million in bilateral agricultural trade by 2027.

Beyond trade, the 2 sides discussed cooperation in education and training, scientific research, agricultural mechanization, and finalizing the draft MoU on environmental cooperation.