Delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Angola Visits and Works in Phu Tho Province

On June 17, a delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Angola, led by Minister Isaac Francisco Maria dos Anjos, visited and worked in Phu Tho Province. Receiving and working with the delegation were Mr. Dinh Cong Su, Member of the Provincial Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee; leaders of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences; and the Northern Mountainous Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Dinh Cong Su speaks at the meeting.

At the meeting, Vice Chairman Dinh Cong Su provided an overview of Phu Tho Province’s agricultural potential, strengths, and development orientation.

With approximately 773,000 hectares of agricultural and forestry land, accounting for nearly 83 percent of the province’s natural area, Phu Tho enjoys significant advantages for developing key agricultural products such as tea, citrus fruits, bananas, and forestry products. Agriculture currently contributes around 12.5 percent of the province’s Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP), maintaining an annual growth rate of 3–3.5 percent.

Phu Tho is focusing on the development of circular agriculture and ecological agriculture while linking production with OCOP (One Commune One Product) products and agricultural tourism. Tea has been identified as the province’s flagship crop, with approximately 14,500 hectares under cultivation, ranking fourth nationwide in acreage and second in output. The province is home to 76 tea-processing enterprises and 49 OCOP-certified tea products, contributing to the promotion of the “Tea of the Ancestral Land” brand.

Vice Chairman Dinh Cong Su expressed his desire to expand cooperation and exchanges in the agricultural sector, particularly in scientific research, technology transfer, tea development, hillside crop cultivation, and ecological agriculture.

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of AngolaIsaac Francisco Maria dos Anjos addresses the meeting.

Speaking at the meeting, Minister Isaac Francisco Maria dos Anjos stated that the visit aimed to further strengthen cooperation between Angola and Viet Nam while exploring Phu Tho’s experience in agricultural development.

The Minister introduced Angola’s agricultural and forestry development potential, highlighting key commodities such as coffee, oil palm, cassava, maize, and plantation forestry.

Overview of the meeting.

Coffee, in particular, was once one of Angola’s leading export products, with the country ranking fourth in the world for coffee exports at its peak. Angola is currently implementing programs to restore and develop specialty coffee-growing regions, although it continues to face challenges related to human resource capacity.

The country is also prioritizing the development of agricultural and forestry research institutes, technical workforce training, and increased food production to reduce dependence on imports while gradually expanding exports.

Minister dos Anjos expressed his wish to strengthen cooperation with Viet Nam in scientific research, technology transfer, and human resource development. He also hoped that Angolan experts and technicians would have opportunities to study and conduct research in Viet Nam.

At the same time, he encouraged businesses from Phu Tho Province to explore investment opportunities in Angola’s agricultural sector, particularly in tea cultivation, forestry development, and wood processing industries.

On this occasion, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of Angola formally invited leaders of Phu Tho Province to visit and work in Angola in the near future.

During the meeting, both sides exchanged views on potential cooperation in research and development of tea, Arabica coffee, food crops, oil-producing crops, fruit trees, as well as technologies for hillside cultivation and agroforestry systems.

The delegation visits tea research facilities at the Northern Mountainous Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute.

Following the meeting, the delegation toured tea research areas and tea processing facilities and sampled tea products at the Northern Mountainous Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute.

Minh Thuat – Ngoc Nguyen