Vietnam and Australia strengthen cooperation in rice development.

On October 29th, at the Vietnamese Embassy in Canberra, Ambassador Pham Hung Tam met and worked with Mr. Anthony McFarlane, Director of Communications of SunRice Group - Australia's largest rice producer and distributor.

Ambassador Pham Hung Tam (center) and Mr. Anthony McFarlane (right), Communications Director of Sunrice Group, and the Lao Ambassador to Australia, Mr. Chatoulong Bouasisavath. Photo: VNA.

Also present at the reception was the Lao Ambassador to Australia, Mr. Chatoulong Bouasisavath.

According to the Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Australia, during the meeting, Mr. Anthony McFarlane briefed Ambassador Pham Hung Tam on the operational status and cooperation projects of SunRice Group in Vietnam. Over the years, SunRice Group has actively collaborated with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) to research and develop many new high-yield rice varieties in Vietnam. These products not only meet the domestic market demand but are also exported to international markets such as Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East.

SunRice Group also focuses on raising farmers' awareness of the rice production value chain and reducing pesticide residue. Accordingly, the group's most recent project, in collaboration with ACIAR, is titled "Sustainable Rice Production Value Chain for Smallholder Farmers in the Mekong Delta." The SunRice ACIAR project aims to establish a high-yield, sustainable, traceable, and quality-assured tropical rice value chain (with unique characteristics) in the Mekong Delta, benefiting rice-growing farmers and meeting the existing requirements of the SunRice market.

Sustainable rice production and value chain operation are considered essential for small-scale rice farmers in Vietnam. Mr. McFarlane also announced plans to celebrate the 75th anniversary of SunRice Group and the 100th anniversary of commercial rice cultivation in Australia next month.

For his part, Ambassador Pham Hung Tam highly appreciated the contributions and effective activities of SunRice Group in Vietnam, congratulated the group on its memorable milestone, and expressed hope that the group would continue to have more similar projects aimed at farmers.

On this occasion, Ambassador Pham Hung Tam also introduced Mr. Anthony to the Lao Ambassador to Australia to connect the two sides and explore opportunities for cooperation in producing agricultural products and Halal-certified rice, opening up possibilities for cooperation between SunRice Group and Laos in particular, as well as contributing to promoting agricultural cooperation between Australia and Laos.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/viet-nam-va-australia-day-manh-hop-tac-phat-trien-lua-gao-20251029153209572.htm