Chairman of the RoK Special Committee for Agriculture, Fishery and Rural Areas Lee Sang-mu made the statement when meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung in Hanoi on August 21.
Lee revealed that his country is also planning to build a research institute for agriculture, factories to produce agricultural machinery, fertilisers and cattle feed, and formulate a pilot model of rural areas in Vietnam that is regarded by the Rok as a powerful country in agriculture.
The official noted that Vietnam, which holds huge potentials for economic development, has emerged as the world’s second largest exporter of rice and coffee from its status of food shortages.
For his part, Hung affirmed that Vietnam places top priority on agriculture, rural areas and farmers, having adopted the issuing of policies to build a modern agriculture, rural areas and improve living conditions for farmers.
Despite its difficulties caused by high inflation, Vietnam has so far this year absorbed more than 40 billion USD in foreign investment, doubling the 2007 figure, he stressed.
Regarding bilateral relations, the deputy PM said Vietnam and the RoK have witnessed a more comprehensive and dynamic cooperation, noting that the RoK has topped the list of foreign investors in Vietnam over the past three years.
On this occasion, Lee expressed his sympathy over great losses in humans and property caused by recent floods in Vietnam ’s northern mountainous provinces, and presented the country with a recue boat.