Vietnam and Uruguay cooperate to open agricultural markets

According to Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien, Vietnam and Uruguay have great potential to export a wide range of high-value agricultural products and to cooperate in research, disease prevention, and control.

During her working visit to Vietnam on August 19, Ms. Valeria Csukasi, Uruguay’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with Mr. Phung Duc Tien, Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment, to discuss ways of strengthening bilateral cooperation.

At the meeting, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien warmly welcomed Ms. Csukasi and the Uruguayan Ambassador to Vietnam, emphasizing Uruguay’s notable expertise in beef cattle, sheep, and dairy farming. 

He highlighted Vietnam’s achievements in agriculture, particularly in agro-forestry-fishery exports, which reached USD 62.5 billion in 2024. The livestock sector has also expanded strongly, with an estimated output of 8.1 million tons of live-weight meat, including 5 million tons of pork, 2.4 million tons of poultry, and 1.2 million tons of fresh milk, alongside nearly 20 billion eggs. Vietnam also produced 21.5 million tons of industrial animal feed, reflecting a 3.4% growth. Given its needs, Vietnam is interested in importing feed ingredients from Mercosur countries to further support livestock development.

"Vietnam holds competitive advantages in processed pork, poultry, and chicken eggs, supported by disease-free production zones and advanced processing technologies. These strengths have enabled Vietnamese products to penetrate demanding markets such as Japan, China, and the EU. Other products like honey and dairy are also gaining strong international recognition, and Vietnam expressed its hope to introduce them into Uruguay soon", Deputy Minister Tien said.

He also noted that many Vietnamese enterprises are eager to export to Uruguay and proposed that both sides work together to create favorable conditions for trade expansion, investment cooperation, scientific research, and animal disease prevention – areas of shared interest. 

Addressing Uruguay’s long-pending request to export beef to Vietnam, he acknowledged the delays since 2016 and committed to re-examining the dossier carefully, with a view to enabling Uruguayan beef and other agricultural products to enter the Vietnamese market in the near future.

In response, Deputy Minister Valeria Csukasi praised Vietnam’s economic progress and agricultural growth, affirming that Vietnam will be an important partner for Uruguay and the wider Mercosur bloc. She expressed particular interest in Vietnam’s coffee – a globally recognized product with strong consumer demand – noting that it could serve as a catalyst to deepen agricultural trade relations.

She also acknowledged the potential for importing a diverse range of Vietnamese products into Uruguay and Mercosur, pledging to study the matter carefully. 

Ms. Valeria Csukasi, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay, expressed her confidence that Vietnam will become an important partner of Uruguay. Photo: Phuong Linh.

"On beef exports, Uruguay is ready to cooperate closely with Vietnam to meet necessary standards and accelerate market access. 

Beyond the sphere of agriculture, I also hope that our two countries will seize the opportunity to broaden cooperation into a wide range of other economic sectors, thereby fostering a deeper, more comprehensive partnership and driving bilateral trade relations to new levels,” Deputy Minister Csukasi emphasized.

Concluding the session, Ms. Csukasi expressed her hope that the outcomes of this visit would help elevate cooperative programs and projects to new heights, bringing about practical and sustainable results. Both delegations reaffirmed their confidence that the bilateral relationship will continue to strengthen, leading to meaningful agreements and concrete achievements in the years ahead.

Phuong Linh