As part of the working program in India from November 5th to November 11th, 2023, on the afternoon of November 8th, 2023, the working delegation from Dak Lak province, led by Mr. Nguyen Thien Van - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee as the Head of the delegation, paid a courtesy visit to the Chief Minister of Kerala, Sri. Pinarayi Vijayan, State Secretary V. Venu and the State Minister of Agriculture Shri. P. Prasad.

Representatives of the Dak Lak provincial working delegation: Mr. Nguyen Thien Van - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee and Mr. Nguyen Hoai Duong - Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development presented commemorative gifts to Chief Minister Kerala Sri. Pinarayi Vijayan and Secretary V. Venu.

Mr. Nguyen Thien Van introduced to the Chief Minister and state leaders about the thriving cooperation between Vietnam and India, with the trade export turnover between the two countries increasing day by day. To continue this success, Dak Lak province has organized a working delegation to visit and cooperate with Indian partners, focusing on partners in the state of Kerala.

At the meeting, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan provided information on some achievements that Kerala has attained recently. In the fiscal year 2022, the state's economy reached nearly $131.5 billion, with a growth rate of 10.8%. Kerala has key industries, including rubber, cashews, bamboo, coconut, seafood, food processing, spices, spice extracts, silk farming, weaving, handicrafts, mining, and information technology.

Sharing the purpose of the work visit, Mr. Nguyen Thien Van stated that Dak Lak province has achieved remarkable results in socio-economic development in the 2022-2023 period. As the center of the Central Highlands region, Dak Lak province focuses on investing in the cultivation and processing of agricultural crops such as coffee, rubber, black pepper, and especially durian, with the current area of about 30,000 hectares, an estimated output of around 200,000 tons per year, and the potential to double the output within the next 5 years.

Additionally, Buon Ma Thuot City, as the urban center of the Central Highlands, is urgently implementing special mechanisms and policies to attract high-quality human resources in the information technology sector, with the goal of building a regional information technology park. The government is also coordinating to organize the India Investment Connection Conference with the Central Highlands provinces at the end of November 2023 in Dak Lak province.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan presents commemorative gifts to the Dak Lak provincial delegation

At the end of the working session, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed the desire to enhance cooperation with Dak Lak province in potential areas and strengths of both sides. This includes activities such as delegation exchanges and cooperation in agriculture, food processing, tourism, information technology, startups, education, and healthcare. On this occasion, Mr. Nguyen Thien Van also extended an invitation from the People's Committee of Dak Lak province to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other state leaders to visit Dak Lak province in the coming time.

On the sidelines of the working program on November 8th, 2023, the Dak Lak provincial working delegation had a meeting with the Business Association of Kerala with the participation of about 20 local businesses, mainly in the agricultural sector.

During the meeting, both sides exchanged information about the operations of local agricultural associations in Kerala, and the roles of each party in the agricultural value chain. Kerala businesses also brought many processed agricultural products to introduce to the delegation.

Dak Lak province's businesses also expressed the desire to learn more about the needs, market characteristics of India, and especially the potential of durian for this populous market.

The meeting between the Delegation of Dak Lak Province and Kerala Business Association

On this occasion, the two sides agreed to jointly develop the draft Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation to pave the way for bringing Dak Lak province's durian to India. The signing is expected to take place during this working visit.

Prior to this, on November 7th, the working delegation visited two establishments: Apollo Group - a private hospital with 10,000 beds, the largest in New Delhi, India, and the Software Technology Park in New Delhi. The two units discussed cooperation needs in their respective fields.

Speaking at the working session, Mr. Nguyen Thien Van - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee expressed gratitude for the warm welcome from the units, while expressing the hope that the two units will strengthen cooperation to support Dak Lak province in accessing and transferring high-tech solutions in healthcare and information technology in the coming time.