Tanzania calls on Vietnamese businesses to invest in livestock and tourism

On September 24-25, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep and a delegation visited and held working sessions with the authorities of Arusha Region, Tanzania. As part of the visit, the delegation visited the Arusha Forest Ranger Station to learn about forest management and protection in the Mount Meru area.

The Arusha Forest Ranger Station currently has around 15 officers managing approximately 8,000 hectares of forest in the Mount Meru area. The area is highly valuable in terms of ecology, biodiversity and landscape, while also being one of the areas associated with tourism development in the region.

Prioritizing cooperation in agriculture and the environment

Welcoming the Vietnamese delegation, Arusha Regional Commissioner Amos Gabriel Makalla congratulated Viet Nam on the outcomes of The 2nd Joint Intergovernmental Committee Meeting between Tanzania and Viet Nam on economic, trade, technical, scientific, cultural and social cooperation, held from September 21-23 in Dar es Salaam.

Introducing Arusha’s potential and advantages, the Regional Commissioner placed particular emphasis on agriculture, forestry, tourism and biodiversity conservation. According to him, Arusha has strong potential for producing a wide range of agricultural commodities, with coffee being one of its important products. However, most products are still exported as raw materials. This leaves considerable room for the region to attract investment in deeper processing and increase the value of its agricultural products.

In addition to agriculture, the region is home to numerous national parks, diverse ecosystems and distinctive natural landscapes. These advantages provide favorable conditions for developing various forms of tourism and attracting both domestic and international visitors.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep thanked Regional Commissioner Amos Gabriel Makalla and the authorities for their warm and respectful reception of the delegation. He also emphasized that Arusha’s strengths are areas in which Vietnam has experience and cooperation potential, thereby opening up opportunities to connect government agencies, businesses and partners from both sides.

“Based on the areas proposed by the Tanzanian side, I believe agriculture and the environment are sectors that could be prioritized for further discussions. The two sides could continue exploring cooperation in sustainable agricultural production, efficient water use and climate change adaptation; seeds, farming techniques, agricultural extension and training; preliminary processing, processing and storage, and reducing post-harvest losses; quality management and market linkages,” Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep said.

The Deputy Minister also said the two sides could exchange experience in combining production development with environmental protection, biodiversity conservation and the development of sustainable livelihoods for local communities.

Connecting businesses and opening markets for agricultural products

Regarding trade and investment, Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep said cooperation should be promoted on the basis of mutual benefit, market demand, business efficiency and compliance with the regulations of each side.

Accordingly, local authorities have an important role to play in building a stable, safe, transparent and favorable environment for businesses, investors, experts and workers.

Regarding political and security issues, the two sides agreed that maintaining a peaceful, stable, safe and trusted environment is an important condition for strengthening economic cooperation, investment, trade and people-to-people exchanges.

Under South - South cooperation, Viet Nam is ready to coordinate with relevant Tanzanian agencies and the Arusha regional authorities to identify needs and connect relevant specialized agencies, research institutions, businesses and development partners.

As an immediate step, the two sides agreed to designate focal points for coordination and regularly exchange information on priority sectors, projects and partners in order to further explore cooperation opportunities following the visit.

During the working session, Nguyen Huu Tri, Director of the cashew division and representative of Intimex Group, expressed interest in exporting rice to Arusha while exploring the possibility of importing coffee and raw cashews from Tanzania.

On this issue, the Arusha Regional Commissioner expressed his willingness to cooperate in agriculture, particularly deep processing. The region will also facilitate Vietnamese businesses in exploring investment opportunities and establishing production and processing facilities locally.

On the sidelines of the second session of the 2nd Joint Intergovernmental Committee Meeting between Tanzania and Viet Nam, leading Vietnamese businesses such as Intimex and Phulimex conducted a field survey covering more than 1,000 km to learn about Tanzania’s natural conditions, agricultural production and agricultural products. Through the trip, the delegation made an initial assessment of the local potential in terms of land, crops and agricultural products.