Vice Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Committee Vu Thi Hien Hanh received a delegation from the Japan Association

On the morning of May 7, Ms. Vu Thi Hien Hanh - Vice Chairman of Yen Bai Provincial People's Committee and leaders of a number of relevant departments of the province received and worked with the delegation of the Vietnam - Japan Culinary Association led by Mr. Matsuo Tomoyuki, Director of the Vietnam - Japan Culinary Association, who came to learn information and propose expanding the production of the buckwheat project in Yen Bai province.

Thanking the warm welcome of the leaders of Yen Bai province for the delegation, Mr. Matsuo Tomoyuki, Director of the Japan - Vietnam Culinary Association, gave an overview of the project of producing soba noodles from buckwheat seeds that the association has been and continues to implement in some northern mountainous provinces of Vietnam.

The project was initiated in Ha Giang province as a cooperative initiative between the Association and the local community, aiming to develop a sustainable agricultural value chain and connect the culinary culture between the two countries. Initially, the project had 50 hectares of buckwheat, and now the total area serving the project is 400 hectares throughout Ha Giang province.

The project's goal is to produce high-quality buckwheat seeds for processing soba flour, serving export to Japan and domestic consumption. In 2024 alone, the project exported over 300 tons of buckwheat seeds, and by 2025, it is expected to increase to 3,000 tons. Currently, the Association has expanded its growing areas to several localities in Lao Cai province.

Mr. Matsuo Tomoyuki said that buckwheat grows very well in high mountains, where people usually only grow one rice crop. If the project is implemented in Yen Bai, the Association will accompany the people to invest in conditions for seedlings, fertilizers, hiring workers and purchasing all products. If there is a crop failure or risks, the Association will bear the loss, the people will not be affected and will have a stable income.

In addition, the planted buckwheat flowers also attract tourists, thereby combining with the development of local tourism. Along with the implementation of the project, the Association also wants to learn more about the culture of Yen Bai ethnic groups through the project development program, possibly aiming to organize twinning between the localities of YB and Japan to further strengthen the friendship and solidarity between the two nations.

Speaking at the reception, Ms. Vu Thi Hien Hanh - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee expressed her joy when the delegation of the Vietnam - Japan Culinary Association came to work in Yen Bai province.

The comrade gave an overview of the potential advantages of the province, emphasizing the strengths in agricultural development of the locality. The Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee said that he had followed the project of the Association and highly appreciated the initial results achieved by the project of planting buckwheat trees for seeds, which are the raw materials to serve a famous dish of Soba noodles in Japan.

Growing buckwheat in Yen Bai province is very suitable for soil and weather conditions in some localities such as Mu Cang Chai, Tram Tau, Van Chan of the province.

Comrade Vu Thi Hien Hanh hopes that the Project will help create jobs for people in the highlands, serving the development of local tourism. Regarding the specific content of the Project, the People's Committee of Yen Bai province will assign tasks to specialized agencies to work with the Association.

The Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee also hopes that the Association will choose Yen Bai province to build a factory to process products from buckwheat seeds to produce Soba noodles because this locality is located at a connecting and transit point between provinces in the Northern region.

Yen Bai province pledged to create favorable conditions for the Association to implement the buckwheat planting project and build a factory in the locality. Regarding cooperation with Japanese localities, he hoped that the Association would connect and introduce Yen Bai to send workers to work in Japanese localities...

Within the framework of the visit and work in Yen Bai province, the Association's delegation will survey a number of localities to plant buckwheat and develop tourism; introduce the project and seek opportunities to connect localities of Yen Bai province with provinces/cities of Japan...

Bich Thu - Huu Minh

Source: https://baoyenbai.com.vn/12/349912/Pho-Chu-tich-UBND-tinh-Vu-Thi-Hien-Hanh-tiep-doan-cong-tac-cua-Hiep-hoi-Nhat-Ban.aspx