The information was announced by Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) on the morning of June 3. On June 2, during the delegation’s first working day in Iowa, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Do Duc Duy led a delegation to meet with the Iowa Department of Agriculture. Welcoming the Vietnamese delegation were Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and Deputy Secretary Grant Menke.

At the meeting, Minister Duy expressed his honor in leading the working delegation, which included representatives from technical agencies under the Ministry, trade associations, and Vietnamese agricultural enterprises. He emphasized that the visit aims to promote agricultural, forestry, and fishery trade between Vietnam and the United States, particularly with the state of Iowa.

Leaders of Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Iowa Department of Agriculture witnessed the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding on agricultural, forestry, and fishery trade cooperation.

With a long-standing agricultural tradition, Iowa is recognized as America’s leading corn producer, yielding around 50 million tonnes annually. The state also produces a variety of other grains such as rye and wheat, as well as a range of fruits. Meanwhile, Vietnam has emerged as one of the world’s top agricultural exporters, making significant contributions to global food security.

“We are continuously expanding our processing capacity, strengthening quality control, and developing sustainable agriculture. This opens ample opportunity for both sides to complement one another and jointly develop stable, long-term bilateral agricultural value chains,” Minister Duy affirmed.

During the business dialogue, both sides reviewed the current state of agricultural trade cooperation between Vietnam and Iowa, and exchanged information on enterprise needs and potential avenues for collaboration. The discussion laid out a practical roadmap to facilitate the export of high-quality agricultural, forestry, and fishery products from Iowa to the Vietnamese market and vice versa.

Notably, the Vietnamese delegation accompanying Minister Duy is expected to sign MoUs involving the purchase of over USD 2 billion worth of U.S. agricultural, forestry, and fishery products. Specifically in Iowa, businesses and associations from both sides have concluded five MoUs valued at approximately USD 800 million, to be implemented within three years. This represents a significant increase compared to Iowa’s previous annual average of USD 44 million in agricultural exports to Vietnam.

Additionally, public-private cooperation between the two countries is being strengthened through a separate MoU between Vietnam’s Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health (under MARD) and the Iowa Pork Producers Association. Under this agreement, both sides commit to bolstering trade relations and promoting partnerships between livestock producers in Vietnam and Iowa through technical seminars, promotional events, and trade matchmaking activities.

Minister Duy expressed his belief that this event will mark the beginning of a deeper and more effective phase of cooperation between the Vietnamese business community and Iowa, demonstrating the goodwill of both parties in fostering the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and the United States.