In an effort to boost trade and take advantage of international agreements, the Chilean Ministry of Agriculture has appointed new agricultural attachés to Southeast Asia. With these appointments, this key region has now four agricultural attachés.
ChileCarne spoke with Rosaura Campusano, who recently took over as Agricultural Attaché to Vietnam. With vast experience in both the public and private sectors, Campusano is tasked with advancing the government’s goals, particularly in high-potential markets like Vietnam. In this interview, we discuss her plans to strengthen business ties with Vietnam, expedite negotiations, facilitate trade, and explore new business and cooperation opportunities in the agricultural sector.
Undersecretary Ignacia Fernández stated that this year’s appointments filled four Agricultural Attaché posts in Southeast Asia. “It demonstrates our commitment to strengthening trade and taking advantage of trade agreements like the CPTPP,” she said. Given your vast experience in both the public and private sectors, how do you plan to advance in that direction?
Indeed, the Chilean government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, is committed to enhancing trade with established markets, especially in Asia, to increase and diversify forestry and agricultural exports, both in terms of products and destinations.
The People’s Republic of China is currently the sector’s primary export destination. However, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam holds tremendous potential thanks to its more than 100 million people, and the significant tariff benefits Chile has thanks to existing agreements.
Together with Ambassador Narea we are developing a work plan to move forward on pending issues and explore new opportunities for the agri-export sector in Vietnam.
– Vietnam’s market has great potential for expanding Chile’s exports and destinations further. Considering that negotiations to authorize Chilean meat exports have been going on for 14 years with limited progress, what specific actions will you take to accelerate these discussions and boost trade?
The first step was opening the Chilean Agricultural Attaché Office in Vietnam to strengthen ties and support the Ministry of Agriculture’s longstanding efforts. The opening of this new office has been well-received by Vietnamese authorities. Previously, our presence in Vietnam was managed by the Office in Indonesia, but we saw the need for a permanent presence in this country.
Thanks to Ambassador Narea’s efforts, we expect to meet high-level Vietnamese officials soon, to establish a robust presence at all levels and showcase Chile as a dependable political, trading, health, and plant health partner.
Another key area is cooperation. We are identifying areas of common interest for Chile and Vietnam to share experiences in agricultural and rural development. Cooperation is vital for strengthening ties with agricultural officials from different countries.
– What other topics will you aim to advance to support Chile’s agricultural and livestock export sector, and particularly white meat?
Agriculture is a pillar of Vietnam’s economy. According to the General Statistics Office, agricultural production grew from 2.9% to 3% in the first quarter, compared to the previous year.
Pork is the most consumed meat in Vietnam, followed by poultry. This presents an opportunity to supply the market with Chilean pork and poultry, which are renowned for their high quality, especially in Asia.
At the latest meeting of the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures in early May, Vietnamese officials announced that they would visit Chile during the second half of this year to expedite the recognition process for all Chilean processing plants. We are making every effort to ensure the visit is a success.
– Do you have any messages for Chilean white meat producers to support your work?
I think it is very important for the white meat industry to prepare promotional materials in Vietnamese to support the efforts of the Agricultural Attaché in Hanoi and ProChile’s Commercial Office in Ho Chi Minh City, so that Vietnamese importers and consumers can learn more about the quality of Chilean white meat.
