Taiwanese agricultural assistance bears fruit in Vietnam

An agricultural assistance project launched by a private Taiwanese group in southern Vietnam in 2007 has begun to bear fruit, drawing praise from a former prime minister of the Southeast Asian country.

A number of the fruits and vegetables being cultivated under the initiative, including Taiwanese guavas, jujubes, bitter melon, eggplants and cucumbers, were on display Saturday at a party in Cu Chi County northwest of Ho Chi Minh City held to celebrate the project\'s progress.

Former Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, who was born and brought up in Cu Chi, praised the Chinfon Group and Taiwanese agricultural specialists for their invaluable contributions to improving agricultural development in Vietnam.

Phan, who served as prime minister from 1997 to 2006, also expressed high expectations for the Chinfon Project, hoping that it would not only be a model in Cu Chi but also be expanded to the whole of Vietnam.

The agricultural assistance project was started by Taiwan-based Chinfon Group -- one of Taiwan\'s largest motorbike manufacturers -- in Cu Chi in 2007 to help local farmers improve their techniques, raise output and sharpen their marketing skills.

The Chinfon Group introduced the farmers association strategy that has been successfully applied in Taiwan for decades to Cu Chi and sent Vietnamese "seed farmers" -- many of them university graduates -- to Taiwan to pick up new skills and knowledge.

At the party, the Vietnamese government presented the prestigious Medal of Agricultural Contribution to Chinfon Group Chairman Huang Shih-hui and Hu Chia-chi, one of Taiwan\'s former representatives in Vietnam, for their efforts in making the project possible and successful.

Later, Huang signed a new agreement with Vietnam\'s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, committing to a second round of agricultural cooperation from 2011 to 2013.