Vietnam can import beef from Brazil again, says Deputy PM

Vietnam will consider importing beef from Brazil again if food safety conditions are ensured, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue has said.

At the recent Vietnam-Brazil Trade and Investment Forum attended by around 100 enterprises in Sao Paulo, Brazil, he also said Vietnam could become the top importer of corn and soybeans.

A quality control scandal in Brazil early last year led to 20 countries, including Vietnam, suspending the import of Brazilian meat. Many countries have since resumed imports after receiving explanations and commitments from the Brazilian government.

It was said the forum that Brazil will also increase import of coffee, catfish and shrimp from Vietnam.

Hue noted that in 10 years of trading and investment relations, import-export turnover of Vietnam and Brazil has reached $4 billion, most of it from agricultural products.

Vietnam’s imports from Brazil in 2017 reached $1.8 billion, according to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam.