HCMC – Businesses from Vietnam and the U.S. state of Ohio have signed memoranda of understanding (MOU) worth more than US$600 million to boost agricultural trade, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.
The agreements were finalized during the Vietnam-Ohio Agricultural Business Forum held on June 6 as part of a working trip to the U.S. The MOUs focus primarily on importing animal feed ingredients from Ohio, Vietnam News Agency reported.
Speaking at the forum, participants highlighted significant opportunities to expand agricultural cooperation between Vietnam and the U.S., particularly in the trade of farm produce. Vietnamese firms also explored partnerships with Ohio-based companies to import wood materials, fruit, and meat products.
As part of the visit, Vietnam’s Minister of Agriculture and Environment Do Duc Duy met with Ohio Agriculture Director Brian Baldridge. The two officials agreed to recommend to their respective governments the implementation of favorable policies aimed at maintaining stable supply chains.
Baldridge noted that Vietnam and the U.S., particularly Ohio, complement each other in agricultural trade rather than compete directly. Minister Duy emphasized that the lifting of the reciprocal tariff—potentially up to 46%—would benefit not only Vietnamese farmers and producers but also support employment across American supply chains.
Duy cited tropical products such as coffee, cashew nuts, pepper, fruit, and wooden furniture as strong export items for Vietnam. Meanwhile, the U.S. and Ohio supply temperate agricultural products like soybeans, beef, corn, raw timber, milk, and dairy products—sectors where Vietnam lacks large-scale production advantages.
This complementary relationship, Duy said, would foster mutually beneficial cooperation, enhance product diversity, and ensure traceability and quality across agricultural and wooden products distributed in both markets.
