South Africa firms hope to boost co-operation

Over 200 Vietnamese and South African businesses attended the Viet Nam-South Africa business forum on agro-forestry and fisheries, held on Monday in Johannesburg.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ho Xuan Hung said at the ceremony that Viet Nam’s agro-forestry and fishery exports had experienced a continued rise throughout the the past years which manifests in a total export turnover of over US$16 billion for the first half of this year, with seafood exported to 160 countries and territories world-wide.

Hung described South Africa as a potential market and gateway for Vietnamese commodities to penetrate the African market.

Last year, bilateral trade between the two countries reached almost $650 million, representing a year-on-year rise of 26.7 per cent and a three-fold increase since 2005. In the first half of this year, Viet Nam earned over $750 million from its exports to South Africa, he said.

Mayathula Khoza, head of the Gauteng provincial Agriculture and Rural Development Department, said that Viet Nam’s quick transformation from a food-insufficient country into the world’s second largest rice exporter was an invaluable lesson for agricultural development of Gauteng and South Africa in general.

She hoped the two countries would further promote economic and trade ties, as well as exchange experience in production and trade, especially in the field of agricultural development. At the event, representatives of businesses from the two countries shared their strengths and fostered co-operation opportunities

http://en.baomoi.com/Info/S-Africa-firms-hope-to-boost-cooperation/5/164249.epi