Côte d’Ivoire and Vietnam seek deeper agricultural ties through Can Tho

Côte d’Ivoire and Vietnam are seeking to deepen agricultural and economic cooperation, with the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho emerging as a potential hub for partnerships in rice production, aquaculture, agricultural processing and technology.

The discussions took place on August 25 during an official visit to Vietnam by Côte d’Ivoire’s National Assembly President Patrick Achi. Achi and his Vietnamese counterpart, Tran Thanh Man, visited high-tech agricultural and seafood-processing facilities in Can Tho to examine production models that could be adapted to Côte d’Ivoire.

Agriculture is already at the centre of trade between the two countries. Côte d’Ivoire is Vietnam’s third-largest rice export market, while Vietnam imports Ivorian products including raw cashew nuts, cotton and other agricultural commodities.

Can Tho, one of Vietnam’s major agricultural centres in the Mekong Delta, wants to expand exports of high-quality rice, pangasius, shrimp, fruit and processed agricultural products to Côte d’Ivoire and other West African markets. The city also wants to strengthen two-way trade by importing Ivorian products and raw materials.

The cooperation could extend beyond trade. Can Tho has offered to share its experience in rice production, agricultural mechanisation, cooperative development, aquaculture, digital transformation and green agriculture. The city also wants to connect businesses, researchers and producers from both sides in areas such as deep processing, cold storage, logistics and agricultural trade.

For Côte d’Ivoire, Vietnam’s rice sector offers a particularly important model. Vietnam produces around 45 million tonnes of paddy a year, compared with roughly 2 million tonnes in Côte d’Ivoire, according to figures presented during the visit. The two countries have broadly comparable areas devoted to rice cultivation, highlighting the potential for Côte d’Ivoire to improve productivity and processing capacity.

Achi said Côte d’Ivoire is interested not only in importing Vietnamese products but also in attracting Vietnamese investment and technology. He expressed support for cooperation in rice, aquaculture, value-added processing and forestry.

The Ivorian delegation visited Trung An High-Tech Agriculture, a Vietnamese company with about 18 years of experience in rice exports and an integrated production and processing chain. The delegation also visited the Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute and Caseamex, a seafood-processing and export company whose products reach more than 50 countries and territories.

The partnership reflects a broader effort by both countries to move beyond a relationship based mainly on commodity trade and toward investment, technology transfer and higher-value agricultural production.

For Côte d’Ivoire, the cooperation with Can Tho could support efforts to strengthen domestic food production and agricultural value chains. For Vietnam, the West African country offers a potential gateway to a wider regional market.

The two sides now face the challenge of turning the discussions into concrete projects involving companies, farmers, researchers and investors. If successful, the partnership could create a new model of South-South cooperation linking Vietnamese agricultural expertise with Côte d’Ivoire’s resources and access to West African markets.