OREANDA-NEWS. September 21, 2011. Agricultural cooperation between China and Lithuania will be broader and stronger, said Kazys Starkevicius, the Lithuanian minister of Agriculture.

Starkevicius told China Daily website that despite the economic recession, Lithuanian agricultural and food sector remained among the most stable segments of its economy, contributing 8 percent of the country's GDP and providing jobs for 10 percent of its population.

Lithuania has deep agricultural and food export traditions. After joining the European Union and World Trade Organization, it produces food under EU standards, ensuring high quality and food security.

The current problem for exporting agricultural products to China lies in product standards, according to Starkevicius.

Starkevicius has met with China's vice-minister of Agriculture and the two sides will set up a special group to improve standards, which is expected to be complete in May next year.

Lithuanian agricultural companies are interested in meat, fish and milk products from the China market, Starkevicius said.

The minister said that Lithuania is open for international investments in the agricultural sector, and it will start to absorb investment in forest production this year. He recommended aquaculture to Chinese investors.

As a member of the EU, Lithuania's unique geographical location would open up access to the European market for Chinese investors.

Starkevicius is leading a delegation to Hefei, Anhui province on Sept 21, to participate in the 2011 China Agricultural Industrialization Trade Fair and the 6th Agro-Business Cooperation Forum between China and Central-Eastern European Countries.

Lithuania will host the International Exhibition for Agriculture and Food Industry AgroBalt in May 2012, the largest of its kind in the Baltic region. China has been invited to the event.

Lithuania has been China's largest trade partner in the Baltic region for years with increasingly expanded cooperation in economics and trade, Chinese president Hu Jintao said earlier this month. The two countries have pledged to deepen bilateral relations.