Chairman of the Long An Provincial People's Committee and Director of JETRO Ibaraki

Promoting cooperation with business organizations in Ibaraki

The working session was attended by Ms. Yachie Yamaguchi - President of the Vietnam - Japan Friendship Association of Ibaraki province, former Deputy Governor of Ibaraki province; Mr. Kawachi Akira - Director of JETRO Ibaraki and more than 20 Japanese enterprises.

At the meeting, Japanese enterprises expressed their interest in investing in Long An in the coming time, especially through the presentation of the Director of the Department of Finance - Truong Van Liep on the advantages and potential of Long An province in attracting foreign investment in Long An and the comments and assessments of JETRO at the conference showed that Long An is a province with a favorable location, human resources to meet the needs of enterprises and was highly appreciated by representatives of Japanese enterprises attending the conference.

Ms. Kawabe Mariko - General Director of Forgetec Kawabe Joint Stock Company, said that there are skilled workers from the province working at the company; at the same time, the company is a supplier of engine spare parts manufacturing equipment for Kubota; Sekishoji Company operates in areas with the potential to seek expanded cooperation in trade, service supply chain, gas materials; ...

Ms. Ikeda Youko - Vice President of Ibaraki University, also introduced the professions that Long An province can introduce to students to study in Ibaraki.

In addition, the Head of the Ibaraki Tourism and Product Promotion Department also said that the potential for tourism cooperation between the two sides will be promising due to the advantages of their own unique agricultural products and strengths. In addition, the two provinces have had programs to send Vietnamese workers to work in Ibaraki province in the past, thereby promoting the field of training highly skilled workers. In the discussion session with the Ibaraki Agricultural Association (JA), Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Long An - Dinh Thi Phuong Khanh introduced the potential and strengths of the province's agriculture, especially the orientation of developing high-tech agriculture, increasing export value; emphasizing the cooperation opportunities between the two sides in the fields of plant varieties, advanced farming technology and agricultural processing.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hien - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Chanh Viet Trading Joint Stock Company, representing the enterprise, also shared and introduced the company's lemon products to connect and seek markets for lemon exports to Japan.

The representative of the Vietnam - Japan Friendship Association Ibaraki informed about the model, the operation of the agricultural production system of Ibaraki, the experiences and successful models from planting to consumption, highly appreciated the advantages of Long An through the presentation of the province's agricultural potential and advantages, expressed the desire to promote trade and technology transfer between businesses of the two sides.

Delegates discussed cooperation opportunities, especially in the value chain of high-quality agricultural products, especially introducing the advanced agricultural production model that Long An has been aiming to widely apply this model.

Exchanging transportation cooperation with IHI Group

Previously, the delegation visited and worked with IHI Group in Tokyo (Japan) - one of the leading industrial corporations in Japan, established in 1853.

Currently, IHI operates in many fields, including aerospace, energy, infrastructure, industrial machinery and shipbuilding. Some typical projects of IHI include Akashi Kaikyō Bridge - the longest suspension bridge in the world, V2500 aircraft engines used for Airbus A320 and many large power plants in the world.

In Vietnam, IHI has participated in important projects such as Nhat Tan Bridge (Hanoi), Binh Bridge (Hai Phong) and Vung Ang and Van Phong 1 Thermal Power Plants.

IHI leaders at the meeting with the delegation of Long An province

At the meeting, the representative of IHI Group expressed his desire to cooperate and invest in transportation projects in Long An. Specifically, IHI plans to cooperate in the construction of National Highway 1 and some other important routes in Long An. The Group proposed to apply advanced technical solutions to overcome soft ground, helping to increase the durability and load-bearing capacity of the project.

Director of Long An Department of Finance - Truong Van Liep informed about the investment orientation of 6 dynamic axes of the province according to Long An province's planning for the period 2021 - 2025, with a vision to 2050. These dynamic axes include the vital traffic system connecting Long An with Ho Chi Minh City and the provinces and cities in the Southern region, contributing to creating an important driving force for traffic connection of the whole region.

Therefore, Long An province expects IHI Group, with its extensive experience and outstanding capacity in the field of transport infrastructure, to participate in investing, consulting and implementing key projects in the province's driving axes. These include upgrading National Highway 1, developing strategic routes and viaduct systems, applying modern technology and the group's proven investment capacity; committing to creating favorable conditions in terms of mechanisms, policies and supporting investment procedures, helping IHI Group effectively implement the project.

Sustainable agricultural cooperation with Feager

The delegation also visited the headquarters of Feager Group. Established in 2008, Feager is a pioneer in decarbonized agriculture, specializing in supporting businesses and farmers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, converting them into internationally recognized carbon credits.

With a modern technology platform, the group focuses on developing environmentally friendly production solutions such as the alternate flooding and drying method, microbiological applications and smart agricultural models.

The delegation of Long An province worked with Feager Group

In Vietnam, Feager pays special attention to the Mekong Delta region, which is severely affected by climate change and requires adaptive farming methods. The Group has researched and supported the implementation of many emission reduction models in agricultural production, helping farmers apply advanced technology to improve efficiency and increase income from carbon credits. In Long An alone, Feager is implementing a carbon credit pilot project on 100,000 hectares of rice, aiming to expand the scale and promote green agriculture in the region.

At the meeting, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Long An - Dinh Thi Phuong Khanh said that on September 13, 2024, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Long An signed a memorandum of understanding with Feager on testing the carbon credit model from rice production using the alternate flooding and drying method. This project is being implemented on 100,000 hectares in Long An, the first pilot in Chau Thanh and Vinh Hung districts.

The first crop was successfully harvested, proving the effectiveness of this farming method in saving irrigation water and reducing methane emissions - one of the greenhouse gases. In the coming time, the two sides will continue to monitor the next harvests to collect data, assess the actual impact of the model on the environment and economic efficiency for farmers. This will not only help complete the carbon credit certification process but also create a premise for expanding the project on a larger scale.

The Group is committed to providing technical support, training farmers and connecting with international organizations to promote carbon credit trading, bringing new sources of income to the local agricultural sector. Both sides expect the project to contribute to shaping the trend of environmentally friendly production, making Long An a leading locality in applying green agricultural technology; at the same time, opening up opportunities for deeper cooperation between the province and international partners in the above field. Initiatives on sustainable transportation and agriculture promise to create practical value, contributing to promoting the province's socio-economic growth./.

Japan is currently the 4th country in terms of the number of projects and total FDI capital in Long An with 161 projects, total capital of more than 1.3 billion USD. Up to now, Long An has attracted 1,512 projects with total capital of more than 14.3 billion USD, ranking in the top 10 provinces and cities nationwide in attracting investment.

Reported by Thai Hoa and Truong Giang 

Translated by NT