Hanoi (VNA) – A delegation from the Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development (MARD) led by Minister Le Minh Hoan has paida visit to Sri Lanka on the occasion of the 37th Session of the FAO RegionalConference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC37) hosted by the South Asian country.

During the visit from February 19-21, the Vietnamese delegation paid a courtesy call on Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena,and held working sessions with Minister of Agriculture and PlantationIndustries Mahinda Amaraweera and Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda.

They made a fact-finding trip to Harangala tea factory in Kandy, organised aseminar to connect agricultural businesses of the two countries in Colombo, andvisited the Regional Development Bank of Sri Lanka. They also visited PresidentHo Chi Minh’s statue and an exhibition space featuring the Vietnamese nationalleader, and the Vietnamese Embassy.

Receiving the delegation, PM Dinesh Gunawardenacongratulated Vietnam on its economic achievements and fast development overthe years, and affirmed that Sri Lankan leaders and people always admire,respect and love President Ho Chi Minh and Vietnam.

He hailed policies that Vietnam has applied to attractforeign investors and create an optimal environment for them, and suggestedthat Vietnam share experience with Sri Lanka on policies in the fields of agriculture,and science-technology, especially plant varieties and rice industry development.

For his part, Hoan said that amid globalisation, countries should cooperatewith each other to deal with common issues and supplement each other with theirstrengths.

Sri Lanka is strong in tea production, while Vietnam isstrong in rice and fishery, he noted, affirming that Vietnam is willing tocooperate with and share its experience in agriculture and rural developmentwith the South Asian country, while promoting bilateral partnership in tradeand investment in the field of agriculture to ensure supply for the twocountries and export.

At the working session with Minister of Agriculture andPlantation Industries Mahinda Amaraweera, Hoan said that the MARD alwaysattaches great importance to collaboration with Sri Lanka in the field ofagriculture, and hopes to further foster the ties, especially inagro-forestry-fishery trade and science-technology.

The two sides witnessed the signing of a joint work plan onagricultural cooperation in the 2024-2026 period, which focuses on collaborationin research, and experience sharing as well as short-term training in thefields of cultivation, animal husbandry, aquaculture, and irrigation./.