Vietnam and South Korea sign three agreements to develop sesame value chain
Vietnamese and South Korean organizations have signed three five-year memoranda covering sesame production, processing, quality control and distribution. The agreements link growers in Vietnam more closely to South Korean residue, product and import requirements.
Five-year agreements connect farms with buyers
Vietnamese and South Korean organizations signed three memoranda of understanding on October 7 and 8, 2026, aimed at developing a sesame value chain serving the South Korean market. According to Vietnam’s Agriculture and Environment Newspaper, the agreements require the parties to settle their method of cooperation at least one month before each new sesame planting season begins. This is intended to give producers time to align cultivation and supply plans with buyers’ specifications.
On the Vietnamese side, the signatory is the Hung Nguyen Cooperative for Agricultural Processing, Food and Plant Breeding in Nghe An province. South Korean participants include KOMEGA, Orange Food System, the Korea Sesame and Perilla Association and KAFCO. The project management consultancy is a third party to all three agreements and will act as an intermediary while supporting the preparation of detailed contracts. Each memorandum is valid for five years.
The agreements were concluded during a South Korean visit from October 5 to 10 led by Le Quoc Thanh, director of Vietnam’s National Agricultural Extension Center. The trip formed part of the South Korean government-funded project to improve capacity and strengthen Vietnam’s sesame value chain. Representatives from Nghe An and Dong Thap provinces, as well as businesses, participated.
Quality requirements move closer to the field
Each South Korean partner has a defined role. KOMEGA, which processes cold-pressed sesame and perilla oils, will support sesame production protocols, oil-extraction technology and the establishment and operation of a sesame oil production facility. Orange Food System will assist with quality inspections, distribution of sesame oil and other sesame products in South Korea, and export strategy.
The Korea Sesame and Perilla Association and KAFCO are expected to provide a stable sales channel and continue purchasing the cooperative’s sesame seed when it meets the required quality standards. No purchase volumes, prices or investment values were disclosed. The arrangements therefore establish a framework for future trade rather than a confirmed shipment program.
South Korean participants will provide requirements for shipment composition, pesticide-residue testing and import clearance. The Vietnamese cooperative will manage cultivation and product classification in line with South Korea’s Food Sanitation Act and Positive List System for pesticide residues. It will also harvest and supply sesame according to the specifications and quantities requested by the South Korean side.
For producing areas in Nghe An and Dong Thap, the model could create an additional outlet while supporting the development of higher-quality sesame production. Vietnam’s agricultural extension system will be responsible for translating buyer requirements into practical guidance covering cultivation, harvesting and storage. Coordination before planting is central because residue compliance and consistent product specifications cannot be secured only after the crop has been harvested.
Potential role as a food-industry supplier
During an October 8 meeting at the Vietnamese Embassy in South Korea, the two sides also discussed a broader role for Vietnamese agriculture as a supplier to South Korea’s food industry. Le Quoc Thanh identified coffee, tea, vegetables and fruit, in addition to sesame, as products that Vietnamese businesses could present to South Korean food companies. The immediate sesame agreements, however, remain conditional on producers meeting buyer standards and on the parties converting the memoranda into detailed contracts.