Vietnam Opens JICA-funded Agrifood Quality Consultancy Center
On July 20, Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) received equipment for and opened the Reference Testing and Agrifood Quality Consultancy (RETAQ) Center, funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), state media reported.
The inauguration ceremony is coincident with the celebration of the 50th founding anniversary of the Vietnam-Japan diplomatic relations and 15th implementation year of the Vietnam-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (VJEPA).
Addressing the event, Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam thanked JICA experts and the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam for supporting the MARD in completing equipment and improving staffs’ capability for the center. He asked the center to focus on appraising and testing agro-forestry-fisheries products in Hanoi, vicinity provinces, and localities in the northern midland and mountainous areas.
Deputy Ambassador of Japan to Vietnam Watanabe Shige expected the center to help Vietnam’s agro-forestry-fisheries products meet global standards.
Since 2012, the Japanese side has provided non-refundable aid of JPY1.2 billion for equipment at the RETAQ center.
On the occasion, officials of the MARD and the JICA inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to approve a project on enhancing the appraisal, testing, and consulting capability for food quality, contributing to sustainable agricultural development. The project costs JPY345 million in non-refundable aids from the Japanese government. (Tin Tuc, BNews, Vietnam Plus)